Uncovering a Treasure Trove

October 8, 2016 – Uncovering a Treasure Trove

Look what we discovered in the crawl space under the stairs!  Maps to buried treasure?  No, even better – rolled up paintings by Elliott Thompson.   

Six unstretched paintings from the HVD series

These six canvases were painted in the 1970s and were never even put on stretchers.  Hidden away for decades, they’re in pristine condition.  We discovered them when I was hauling four of Elliott’s very large paintings out of the crawl space.  These large paintings had been taken off their stretchers and rolled up prior to our move to France over 30 years ago.  We haven't unrolled any of the paintings yet.  The big reveal is scheduled for next Monday.

So the painting inventory continues to grow.  And the excitement of unearthing these works has re-energized Elliott.  He’s a working artist once again, which makes him a much happier person (as well as a much easier person to live with) despite having some new pains. 

On Tuesday morning, Elliott admitted that he’d been having pains in his back and chest for a few days.  He feared the worst, i.e. a heart attack, which in turn triggered an anxiety attack.  However, we were able to get in to see his doctor that morning and were reassured that his heart was fine.  As his doctor expected, X-rays showed that cause of Elliott’s pain was a compression fracture in his spine.  It will heal in 4-6 weeks and it hasn’t kept him from spending time in the studio, working on his designs and pouring over old correspondence, notes, and exhibition catalogues.     

Last night, we shared a celebratory dinner at Silver Diner.  Elliott got his usual sugar high from a big serving of waffles doused in maple syrup and a super-sized strawberry milkshake.  I allowed myself a sip of the milkshake and a bite of syrup-drenched waffle.  Of course, that’s not all I ate.  I had a bison burger with arugula, cremini mushrooms, and tomatoes, with a side of steamed vegetables.  According to my most recent blood tests, my blood sugar level and A1C remain stable and I’m trying to keep them from creeping up into dangerous territory.  Remembering how my diabetes destroyed my father’s health and quality of life is incentive enough for me.  

On the Sylvie front, my 12-week old granddaughter is already a bibliophile.  She favors Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a board book of Matisse cutouts called Dance for Joy.  Mom Elisa is doing a great job of introducing Sylvie to the joys of reading.   

photo by Elisa

I’m keeping busy with the usual activities.  Classes at GMU are going well.  In my jazz class, we’re learning about different swing bands from the 30s and in art history, we’re learning about Post-Painterly Abstraction, as seen in the works of Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Jules Olitski. 

With the cooler weather, I’m spending more time in the kitchen.  I cooked up a big batch of butternut squash soup a couple of days ago.  Over the years, I’ve tried so many different recipes for squash soup that are all delicious.  This version includes corn, black beans, cumin, red peppers, and cilantro.  It’s great with an avocado and tomato salad, and some sweet potato tortilla chips (Trader Joe’s) with Fall Harvest Salsa (also Trader Joe’s).  There's pumpkin in the salsa - yum! 

Great flavors for the season - from Trader Joe's

Finally, I’m working at least once a week at the Workhouse glass studio and getting ready for this season’s Mantua Made Market, where I’ll be selling fused glass once again.  Put a note on your calendar for Saturday, November 7 from 10 am until 2 pm.  

Why can't I rotate this photo 90 degrees?