This morning there is a lot less ice in
the brook than yesterday. Warmer temperatures and overnight rain melted most.
Yesterday was an interesting day. I fell
into being a bit pissed with myself, but I'm really proud I was able to pull
myself out. I stopped the downward spiral.
 |
| Creek Along the Road -- work in process |
I worked in the studio for a while. I've
done little this summer as a lot of time was spent out in the gardens. I hadn't
realized how far behind I’d fallen with art timelines and note taking. I like
keeping track of my progress to see where I struggled and where I made
revelations.
I was frustrated when I couldn't find
notes on what I'd done earlier -- and then, with the latest painting, I hadn't
even started a spreadsheet on it! I can't believe that. I always start a
spreadsheet, right off the bat! This means I don't even have a start date. I
just know it was after June 4 because that's when I took the photos for
inspiration.
So, the afternoon was spent going back
through photos, and skimming logbooks and journals. I know I wrote about my
work and progress! Why can't I find the notes? Arrghhh! I've struggled
with this painting and to have the notes to look back on will help me with
future paintings.
But, in spite of my frustration, I didn't
fall far down the rabbit hole this time. I caught myself and even though I
continued to look, I didn't totally crash. (See the work with learning to live
wholeheartedly is paying off!) I kept telling myself I have to go on from here,
move forward. I didn't even beat myself up for wasting the entire afternoon
looking for the info. I had to satisfy myself that, at least, I did look.
The interesting thing about yesterday's
painting was deciding to spray fixative on the sky. I hadn’t tried doing a
quick spray early on to try to stabilize the pastel. I’d been struggling
getting the branches of the foreground tree right, and every time I messed up,
I’d push tree color into the sky, then have to repair the sky ... again … and I
like my skies.
My goal was to "fix" the sky so
when I began adding more upper tree branches, I wouldn't muddy the sky with the
charcoal and tree-color pastels. I hoped, with a quick spray, the smell
wouldn't be bad. Taking the paper outside in the cold isn't such a good idea
... plus painter's tape doesn't hold a second time meaning I'd have to re-tape
the paper back to the easel board.
It's not a good
idea spraying fixative indoors, either! Even with the air purifier
on, the room smelled awful after just a couple of quick squirts. I couldn't
stay in there at all. Well, that didn't work. Next time I'll pull the paper and
bring it outside no matter how cold. I let the air purifier run a couple hours
and the room still smelled. I haven't checked to see how the pastel sky
color are fixed, but I'm feeling good about it.
Lessons: Don't let the paintings sit a
long time. Start and get it done! Keep up with the timelines and notes for
future reference. Go back to spending 10-15 minutes daily or every other
day -- I don't have to work for hours at a time.
Goodness, I feel I have a ton of catching
up to do. I took almost the entire summer off from painting, distracted with
other projects. But I remember how to ride a bicycle. I'm getting back on the
horse!
The rain turns to big fat flakes of snow.
It took only 15 minutes for a layer of heavy, wetness to lay on the deck and ground,
and snow is sticking to branches and evergreen boughs. I took photos when it
first changed, but I’m tempted to grab the camera again as the snow thickens on
rocks in the brook making the big boulder look like some kind of fresh-water
whale.
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