Caught

As I wait for the rice to cook I look back at my week so far and wonder where I went wrong… I remembered my blog on Tuesday which seems to be a new tradition. Unfortunately I was in the car on my way to the studio and beyond the point of no return. I thought about when I might slip it in and there seemed no time between then and the present moment. This moment is short too. As soon as the timer sounds I am off to make supper and we shall eat, it is late after all. I got caught this week. Too many deadlines to allow for error. Sigh. I turned my attention to the painting at hand, the one I am going to show at the end of the month. Once that was done I got out my references and my piece of paper for the maquette that was due the next day (today) only to discover that I had neglected to print the reference photos required for the job. Another reason I needed my computer. Sigh again. I packed everything up and went home. Somewhere around seven my dear husband asked me if we were going to eat supper. I could not believe how fast the time had flown. We ate. I began to wilt at around nine thirty as my day begins at five so I left it all on the table and went to bed. This morning I was at it again. Lunch was late and I managed to get out the door at two, just in time to deliver the maquette and be on time for my massage. Whew! Home again and off to visit the grandchildren. My bed is calling me…. Oh, there goes the buzzer!

There are special moments in life that we treasure in our hearts. This is an en plein air sketch that I finished several months later from memory. Every year I get together with the most unlikely combination of four other women, all powerful, all with completely different interests and professions, all with one purpose. We were randomly thrown together in a personal development program called Samari Camp over three years ago; we keep in touch by conference call once per week with one intention: to change the world in which we live. It was during our annual retreat, this time in Jasper last fall, that I shared my love of painting and storytelling. We had spent the morning in conversation over breakfast savouring the minutes and the tidbits as we discussed our accomplishments over the past year. We left with a prepared lunch in the direction of Maligne Canyon pulling in at each bridge as we made our way higher into the gorge. There were some complaints about gerbils in the back (my shocks or spring cushions are rather noisy) but we delighted in the natural beauty and after a short hike decided to lunch and paint at the Fifth Bridge. I chose the spot because the terrain lent itself to easels and such, not that we had any, but there were places to sit. Everyone had their own palette (mine had the good paint in it) and we set about looking at shapes instead of trees, rivers and mountains. This is a keeper. Just done the next task is to generate a few greeting cards and send them off to special people on special occasions or for no reason at all, just because. Life is good.

Done

Just about forgot again! Ideally these blogs are supposed to be written ahead of time and I thought for sure this one was just waiting for me to post…. Confidently I opened the page, feeling delighted that I had actually remembered to blog, even at this late hour, and, well, nothing. I had the picture and the title…. A little more than nothing. Sigh. My mural is done. It was one of the more interesting subjects: Christian churches. Ecumenism is one of my passions. It goes beyond Christian circles and includes the whole world. There is so much good being done in pockets around the world by ordinary people. The scope of this exercise was limited to one community and it was a delight to discover the common themes throughout the various expressions. It came down to people. Church is people. The main activities were prayer, singing songs of praise, mentoring, walking the journey together and celebrating. Helping one another in times of joy and sorrow has connections with the land as well. Pioneers endured much and survived by working together. We have got away from that somewhat. It is time we slowed down and reconnected. It is all about people, the earth and taking care.

Rearranged

My studio and my life have been rearranged again…. Life throws curves every once in a while. This mural is a small one, only four feet by eight. It is waiting for me. I do not usually miss my deadlines but I guess there is a first time for everything. The painting is progressing well. I should be done soon. I had intended to be done last week. On my way to the studio I slipped on some ice and catapulted my head into the cement. It felt as if I were being held in gentle hands as I went down and the doctors say I am lucky. Indeed I am blessed. It could have been a lot worse.  I did get to the studio later that same day but I could not sustain the extra hours and the drive home seemed longer than usual. The next day I could barely get out of bed. The world was spinning and my stomach suffered from travel sickness. I spend the morning keeping appointments and went to bed for the rest of the day. Saturday was no better and Sunday saw some improvement. Monday I did bookkeeping instead of visiting the life drawing studios and Tuesday I decided I could drive again. I am very thankful for my husband who doted on me as I recovered, became my means to manoeuvre from place to place and provided me with sustenance. It is a times like these that gratitude takes over and I can see how much more beautiful the world is.

Life Drawing

Two minutes

Five minutes

Two Twenty Minutes

Some days I can draw and some days I might as well go home to bed. Life drawing is one of the most efficient ways there is to improve my skills as an artist. The challenge is accuracy within a very limited time frame. Being consistent in the challenge is the key to improving…. Consistency. Yes, well, now that I am in the city I am scheduling life drawing for one afternoon per week instead of once per month which derails into once per year. Another factor is inspiration. Some models possess a certain grace that is totally inspiring. Models who have dance as part of their repertoire often possess this grace. Sometimes it comes naturally. It does not take much. A carefully placed hand, a little twist in the spine, one foot in front of the other, a glance and something magical happens. Drawing becomes easy. I use a number of different mark makers. One of my favorites is ink. I do not erase. This time I used a new product called watercolour sticks. I have a few colours, three to be exact. They came in the sample packages I pick up at a promotion; quinacridone burnt orange (PO 48), carbazole violet (PV 23) and undersea green (PB 29 and PO 48). I got excited when I put the violet and the orange together. At first I used the sticks as crayons. Then I dipped them into some water before putting them to paper. I love uneven lines, unpredictable events. I continued dipping. Then I took a paint brush and smudged some colour into shadow shapes. So much fun! I’ll be back.

Christian Contribution

Pencil drawings do not photograph well. This is the latest in the long line of mural projects with which I have been involved. It has been a lot of fun. We met before Christmas to discuss common themes and some focus points upon which I could build an image that expressed Christian contribution within the community. As I developed the drawing it became apparent that the most important elements were the people themselves. Church is all about people. As one theologian put it: we put skin to God. As we pray, play, worship, praise and touch each other, God’s love made manifest. The best examples of this are in how we care for the weakest and the poorest among us. As a whole I think we are getting better at it. In any case the image celebrates the victories and the joy. Now that it has been approved the next step is to paint it. I have already begun with the undercoats: one coat of primer, one or two coats of exterior house paint on the back, gesso on the front, a coat of molding paste then a coat of gesso mixed with colour and gel medium just to get started. Today I put on the other layers of colour, there are at least three of them, before I transfer the image. That is today’s work. Tomorrow and the next day are painting days. Done by Thursday… that is the deadline. Sigh. Thank God for deadlines….

Pictureless

The chaos has caught up with me. I forgot to take a picture of what I have been working on lately and so… there is no picture. Actually it has been many weeks since I have spent any productive time in my studio. I have been going to life drawing once per week and that helps. Today I intend to go again, if I have wheels…. The transmission went out in the van. I am very thankful I got my fifteen pictures to CAVA before that happened! The show is on! The opening was grand! The drawings will be on display until March 20^th so do drop in if you can. I am so poetic… Once I got my fifteen drawings framed I helped move our stored furniture into a storage unit and I am in the process of cleaning up the leftovers that did not fit. We decided keeping my studio in Legal is the most economical for now. I also bought a panel for the latest mural and sealed the edge with silicon in preparation for the primer and protective coats that I put on the back before I begin painting. As part of my planning for effective use of car and mileage I am at home today, doing bookwork (year end is approaching fast), taking in life drawing and ferrying my oldest daughter to an appointment this evening. Tomorrow I go to my studio, I think… It means my husband has to catch a bus to his commitments during the afternoon. Our youngest daughter should know what to do about that. It has been a long time since we caught a city bus. Where there is a will there is a way. One thing for certain, I will pick up a brush this week if only to stave off insanity!