With summertime here and the kids home all the time, the balancing act of parenting and working has become extra exciting. I may be having show in two weeks (or not) and my in-laws are arriving at the same time on the condition that we have air conditioning (which we don't.) So there's art mess everywhere on my end and wiring and insulation everywhere on my husband's. Josh and I are both quite independent workers who tend to get committed to our own projects and "hole up" with them. Where does this leave our kids? Er...somewhere?

These recent pictures show my kids in a lonely, desert-like landscape with layers of sky and sand present in each image. I realize that I deal with a lot of personal guilt over how much I leave them to their own devices sometimes, and there's that element in these objects. One of my kids lives largely in his imaginary worlds, which I think is wonderful. He still invites me into these make-believe spaces and when I have the energy to join him I am treated to fragments of his inner vision. My other child is very tied to her real environment (and me. She mostly wants to be me.)

Right now I'm really juggling and am not sure how to do this. There seems to be no resolution.