Back at the easel

           Pulled out a canvas I started last February and decided to see what I can do with it. The hat flowers have taken center stage for the moment. I just want to put paint down and not be too worried about the results. I felt, as I usually do when I've been away from the easel for a while, like I had three left thumbs. It comes back though. 

        The exciting news is that tomorrow I have a model coming over to spend the day posing for me. This is a local woman whom I have wanted to paint since I first saw her several years ago at the junction gas station where she works. Amazing eyes and wonderful, slightly unruly dark to greying hair. I have no specific plans but I found an old colourful shawl that should look good on her and set up my new lighting (the lights I bought for the workshop I gave at Pearl Ellis last February.) I contacted the company to let them know that the light stand, with extension boom arm (always wanted one of those!) did not come with the brass screw/nut on the end with which to attach a light! I had to Mickey Mouse the set up the last time I used it. They sent the screw attachment in a huge box but I didn't get charged for anything even though I was told to expect to pay a duty for it to cross the border! My Mom was right: the squeaking wheel gets the grease.

Pushing the Envelope

                                                         "Pushing the Envelope"  oil  36"x36"

      I think I got lost on the way here way back in April. I have been distracted and now I feel I might actually be getting back on track. 

      The above painting was completed in the summer and won an award in the FCA Painting on the Edge show last month. It is the first time I have been accepted into that show so I figured this piece was "edgy" enough. I also completed three figurative paintings of my model-in-a-box series with Michael Ward posing. None have been accepted in anything. Do I paint the male figure differently? Possibly. 

      For now I am amazed and pleased that I have gotten back to the blog and we'll see how it goes from here. It's that time of year, at least for me, to think about reorganizing and starting fresh. Something about the new school year embedded in my psyche no doubt. This will only work if I do the organizing bit my own way. I am deleting newsletter subscriptions, failing to respond to requests for ongoing support for many worthwhile causes, and generally thinking I have to get more introspective for a time. I am tired. I do not want the woes of the world to implode my brain. I still care but I have to sit back and just watch for a while. And I want to return to painting stuff I really love, like attractive and interesting women wearing attractive and interesting textiles which don't necessarily have any statement to make other than, gee, it feels nice to just look at this. I have pushed the envelope and found it wanting.