Space to Fill

It has been a dark winter. The cloud cover has been relentless in the North, so our view of the aurora has been very sparse. It has seemed this winter like it took an extra long time for the sun to return to the horizon. There has been a lot of resigned deep breathing and obsessive tea drinking to get through it.

In a sad addition, our old beloved 11 year old english mastiff Bodhi died in February of kidney disease. Bodhi was an guy who loved peace, order, snuggles and stability. We had planned a renovation project on the second floor of our sea house, but tearing apart our home did not go with his needs as an elderly dog, so we put it off. His absence has been like a black hole in our world - full stop. It has felt like joy has been snatched from our lives and he was at the center of it.

Our beloved Bodhi

I have poured my sorrows into getting the renovation started. Turns out I needed the extra boost of energy. This is my my first renovation and ripping out walls from industrial institutional construction is no easy task! We have taken many layers of time and building materials out of the house to get it back to the original layers. Every day is like opening a treasure chest of architectural archeology. I had dreams to put in a rustic plank floor, but in tearing out the panel floors we found exactly what I wanted. In one sections there are brown painted planks, and another forest green. In tearing out old wall panelling, I found the original log walls I had heard so much about. We also found horrible plumbing and outrageously outdated electrical conflagrations. There is a lot to do in the next year.

House renovations begin and we have found some beautiful elements to work with.

Everything has changed since the start of the year and maybe it was about time. So much space has been cleared, physically and emotionally for new dreams and adventures to fill. In the house, we have made space for a huge master bedroom from a tiny cramped eldercare institution’s room. There is so much space we are not yet sure what we should do with it all. We now have a big open living space where a linen closet, mop closet and tiny kitchen used to be. We have new space for our wood ovens too that have been sitting in crates for a year in my art studio. 

There is so much potential and choice and I am having a hard time deciding what style to re-do everything in. Should we go Coastal style, slick Scandinavian minimalism or rustic farmhouse. . . I am leaning towards a rustic coastal farmhouse style haha. I am creating an art style that goes with that with some of my favorite subjects. I am going to call it Shabby Sea Chateau or something like that. Here are some samples of my first paintings. 

My Coastal Farmhouse paintings with gold edging I am playing with.

But joy returns if you let it. We are awaiting some wooly babies coming in a few weeks. We have no idea how many are coming, but we are ready for any number. It will be a summer full of joy to drown out the darkness of this past winter. Stay tuned for more!