Waiting for paint to dry is a time-honoured
process. On occasion I can grab a cup of coffee and sit out a few minutes. This
is rarely what I do. In most cases the drying requires several hours and even
overnight. I could go home. Instead I choose to fill the hours with other
projects. As you can see my studio is overfull at the moment with mural
commissions. The set of vignettes are just about finished. One more coat of
varnish and out the door they go! The other panels are waiting for the first gesso
coat, there are about five layers of colour to be added before I begin drawing
in the desired images. Lots of waiting time. Sooooo…. I am very thankful
watercolour does not take up much space because there is really not a lot
around. Behind the panels and just before the outside door my drafting table is
home to the heavy tools for which I no longer have a workbench. There are also
a variety of pens, pencils, polished rocks, and memorabilia occupying that end
of the desk. At the other end there is just enough space to place a full sheet
of watercolour paper with my full palette and the array of brushes. I cannot
tell you how wonderful it is to be painting regularly again! Yes, yes, I am
always painting. There is, however, a huge difference between commissioned
painting and artistic exploration and creation. There is so much more room to
allow the paint to flow as it chooses. Room. I have waiting room! Delicious.
I am thankful I got the panels cut before I
brought them into my studio. There are four of them, four by six, going through
the process of preparation before I can actually begin painting the images.
Last week I also picked up another three panels, vignettes, three by four that
have had some water damage which needs repairing. The third set has not
arrived. I am thankful that the larger one, nine by seven, will be painted on
fabric. How I will prepare the sheets is a bit of a puzzle. I always enjoy a
challenge. It is all about logistics and having a rhythm. The smaller ones will
be finished first and out the door. Once the preparation of the next set is
completed I will have space to prepare the fabric, with a little rearranging. I
will see if my false wall will turn into a tabletop rendering the whole job so
much easier…. Walking around the table will still be a requirement… my body may
be a bit too generously proportioned. All three sets are required before the
end of June. Summer is installation and unveiling time, filled with the sweet
smells of celebration. Yes! Back to work.
This is the second mural on which I am presently
working. It is awaiting approval. The meeting is this week. Whew! I will take
the moment to prepare the other one. This mural is quite a bit bigger though.
These panels (although the approximately the same size as the other watercolour
sketches) measure about nine feet by seven feet instead of four by six. Each
set has four images. The center one for this mural is actually two doors so the
image must be adjusted in order that the subject is easily divided without any
disturbing misalignments. Straight lines are not good to have crossing an
opening. Half a head is really not suitable either. When the doors are open
whole bodies are better on either side of the gap and any straight lines must come
together when they are closed. In this case it is easier for me to move the
harness a little to the left in order to avoid the break rather than try to
have everything perfectly synchronized. The opening will pass through the
horse, beside the boy, a line that is mostly in shadow and therefore easily
disguised. No blood involved! No harm to any animals either! Life is good.
Learning curves come in various sizes and
shapes. They take form according to the amount of fear attached. A few short
months ago I had no clue how to ship a painting anywhere. That curve was
straight up to disappearing. Now I know how to build a box to suit the size of
the pieces being sent and usually there is little or no damage as a result. However,
there does seem to be a correlation between the label “Fragile” and the number
of times a piece is damaged. This not only applies to paintings but to any
fragile object I might wish to send to anyone. This particular watercolour,
being watercolour, required a frame that includes glass to protect the paper
upon which the colour resides. It was the first time the shippers had put the
dreaded label “Fragile” on the box and the way I received it indicates,
unfortunately, that the painting arrived for the show in Vancouver already
damaged. Sigh. Just recently another artist suggested Plexiglas for shipments.
This could be a very good alternative, as I seem to be breaking things lately.
I suspect the cost will restrict the choice to shipping only and that is just
fine. This learning curve is much shorter and not nearly so steep. Life is
good.
It is strange how things come in groups. At
present I am working on two different sets of murals. I have just completed the
preliminary watercolour sketches for both. One has been approved; the other
awaits perusal. As usual the sketches have proved to be invaluable as things
change drastically when we get together to talk about specifics. This time the
fellow in charge of maintenance called the shot and the murals are now a
different format and size. They are also on a different support. That reminds
me, I need to do a little research in that arena…. One of the less pleasant
side effects of mural work is that the hours of preparation that goes into
preliminary sketches is gratis. The artist gets paid once the contract is
signed and the concept approved. In an open competition should another artist
win the contract I do not get paid at all. That is why I like doing the initial
work in watercolour. Watercolour is such fun and it is so fast. I do take care
in the drawing and transfer the image once the bugs have been removed but then
the fun begins. I will adjust the images so the composition goes with the new
dimensions and I think I may decide on a single direction of light…. Can’t have
the sun coming up in all directions at once can we?
Some trees are nicer to hug than others.
Deciduous trees tend to be more welcoming than evergreens or maybe it is just
my preference to avoid the impossibly sticky sap all over my hands and
clothing… Smooth bark trees have an added feature: they sing. We live
impossible lives when we allow our circumstances to dictate our schedule. Do we
really have a choice? I do. And I am thankful.
I am exercising that choice today, at this moment. Circumstances are
demanding that I pay attention to preparation for some serious presentations to
take place in a couple of days, in a week. There is too much to do in the short
time I have. I choose to take a breather and share a little insight with my
friends. I choose to have a coffee and spend some time with my husband. Later
today I will take the time to hug a tree. I have come to learn that if I do not
take care of me there is not enough to go around. By neglecting myself I
deprive my family and my customers of the best I can be. So amid the scurry of
this day and that of the days to come I will stop, breathe and hug a tree, not
just any tree. I look forward to hearing the song as my ear nestles up closely
to the soft, cool skin of a birch or a young poplar. The music is more varied,
more spectacular, in the months of leaf. Even so it is a song worth enjoying. I
suppose even that is a choice.
One of the most difficult exercises in this
business of art is pricing. A little while ago a couple of curators for my
present show visited me in my studio and suggested that my price was
considerably too low. I reconsidered and put the price up. While repairing some
broken glass I received more than a few compliments on the show and I was truly
baffled as to why it was the source of so much excitement. I asked a few
questions and shared the experience with my mastermind on our weekly conference
call. “Don’t you like your drawings?” was the question that began the
awareness. Of course I like my drawings. “Then what is going on?” I have some
very perceptive people on my mastermind…. What was going on indeed? It is
amazing what one learns as one expresses feelings out loud especially when one
shares them with trusted others. Drawing is easy for me. Easy means valueless
for me as well. Yes, ahh, mmmm…. “So what are you going to do to change that?”
Awareness is the first step to changing anything. For me awareness always
brings with it an element of surprise. This time it was closer to shock…. I was
dismissing a skill that has taken me fifty years to develop. Wow! Second step:
receive the accolades and celebrate; thanks for the flowers Judy! Third step: get back to drawing on a regular
basis. That is a promise.
