More Crowded

I may have to develop wings so I can hover above the surface! Soon the other mural panels will be gone. I am not so sure that is a good thing. As you can see two of them are protecting my watercolour from the mad painter who throws paint in all directions in preparation of the new sheets for the second mural. Perhaps another small sheet of plastic would be in order. Prevention is infinitely more efficient than cure. Accidental acrylic drops on my almost finished watercolour would be more than sufficient to tip the madness into fury or at least disappointment. The priming is now complete and the next step is molding paste. I do love the way the molding paste makes the surface irregular and therefore unpredictable. On occasion this causes me some time costs as I scratch my brain to figure out a way around the unfortunate irregularity…. Most of the time it is just beautiful. Life is good.

Crowded

So this is my first attempt to accommodate the nine foot by seven foot panels for the Willington mural. My false wall is now the table top. Even with the wall atop the kitchen table the surface is insufficient to allow more than one segment at a time (there are two to a panel). As is, doing one sheet at a time would lengthen significantly the preparation time for each piece before drawing and painting could begin. Too long. I found an extender which I attached to an eight foot side and I can now work two sheets at once. With the extender I can prime one sheet and allow it to drape over the ends and side while I prime the other. About two or three hours later I can flip them and do the other side. Of course there is a consequence for pushing things this way…. My hands and everything else get covered in paint. There are four to six layers of gel and paint to apply yet so there will be a lot of waiting for paint to dry over the next couple of weeks. Once all of the layers have been completed I will remove the extender and replace the false wall in a vertical position so that the surface is more easily accessible for drawing. I have not figured out how I am going to keep the two segments together as I move them around. Having an eight foot wall for nine foot panels requires moving. The movement will include side to side as well. Challenges for later. In the meantime the preparation is advancing nicely. And the best part: I get to paint my watercolour while waiting for paint to dry!  Life is good.

Four Done

All four panels are done for the Redwater Health Unit. I will be delivering them this week. The unveiling will take place around the middle of June. Watch for the event on my Facebook page and in the St. Albert Gazette. In the meantime I am waiting for paint to dry again as I prepare panels of the Willington mural. I love waiting for paint to dry. It gives me a chance to work on my watercolours. The third in the series “Invitation” is just about finished and I will soon turn my attention to the image for the sixth. I plan on drawing the sixth before I begin painting the fifth in order for me to maintain the momentum for the journey. Taking small constant steps in the direction I wish to go gets me to places I had not foreseen.  Should I stop and wait for the “right” moment time has a way of running away. Time is like water. Have you ever tried to capture water in your hands? I have occasionally, usually on a hike. My hands are small and the quantity of water I manage to cup in my palms is easily lost as well. Water flows. Time flows. I find moving with it and being in the moment gives me the most satisfaction. Now is the “right” time, none better.

Two Done

As I predicted the lighthouse is the first to be completed. A little discouraged by the dismemberment of the waterfall I turned my attention to the harvest scene knowing that the choices therein were far less complicated. It has a vastly different feel to it. The colours are more subtle. The layers do not produce a stark contrast. It is quiet. I kept wondering if it were finished. I tend to repaint different areas with my imagination and I came to the same conclusion each time: leave it alone. It does not need fixing. This could be applied to my life. I am highly critical of all that I do and look for the areas that need to be improved. On more than one occasion I have been told that there is nothing that needs to be fixed. Take a deep breath. Accept the differences and enjoy the simplicity. Time to celebrate!