Still anxious to draw by the river but its still far too cold. Have tingling fingers and a numb arm from trying. Taken photos and will start with those, finish up from the rivers edge as soon as possible. Watercolours and charcoal probably and as small as I can bear. Will strech some paper tonight.
Studio so daunting yesterday that I packed a knapsack of kit and went drawing by the river. Except it was painfully cold, so I came back again.
Had another go at making workspace rational... interupted by a friend visiting so that put paid to that. Did manage some late afternoon work which I think will resolve a picture.
Repairing yesterdays painting, sooo dire; must stop working in artifical light, at least till my new eyes are fully integrated.
Cleared the top of the table. Still not dealt with paints, palettes, brushes. Can always find something more interesting to do.
Lost yesterday morning to paperwork (Bobs pass sanitaire mis-dated his birthday) and the evening to a girlfriend dropping in, but the afternoon was productive if not fruitful. Monday in Carcassonne where I decided that the trees and river were all that I'm interested in (also all that was open) Probably been indoors internally for too long. Bored with my own thoughts.
Dreamed a judge, man dressed in red ; accompanied by two side kicks, white collars. On a boat, a big cruise type. Not me being judged; I kept apologizing to him for his having to wear his heavy red robes. He didn't smile, just fixed me with the gimlet eye and said that they were bred to it.
Realised yesterday that the studio is unworkable again, I've become such a messy worker. New canvases are primed in several layers and are drying (We are told that L.S. Lowry achieved that curious white of his by hanging primed canvases for 6 months before use)
It'll probably take 6 months to restore the studio, clean brushes, palate, floor, restore paints to right places complete with lids.
And today I'm hanging around Carcassonne for no reason except a change of air.
Had an opportunity yesterday to buy some canvases and did - 3, 60 x 60. So much for careful planning, I'm just an opportunist.
Finished my tour of household duties this week - next is for painting. Planning to anticipate it by going to Carcassonne and getting some new visions.
Gessoing new canvases today and having a go at the unfinished stuff...
Showed it to a friend who liked the sandals; had to paint in blades but fear they do not enhance the skating activity that was intended. Do my intentions matter? Hmm.
Just watched a very wonderful you tube Jung Art and the Victorian Feminine - YouTube
which has startled me on several levels.
DO artists carry the unconciousness of their culture? I acknowledge only my own but I am a participant. And of course there were those days in the London studios, when an idea would occur in several places at once (the wolf appearance, for instance) and become the motif de jour. For a few years.
Oh la. The two others on the go are causing problems which I may walk away from. The more so because there are no more canvases in stock.
Find I'm out of canvases which meaning having to make decisions about sizes. I don't like this small format. But I haven't room to store big ones.
Could always buy some acrylic paints and work on paper. But acryclics just don't do it for me. Sigh.
Was rather fretful thinking he may not have liked it (his work is meticulous and direct) and then remembered an occasion when the dear man praised my painting to the skies. At the time I was astonished, such a surprise; now I'm grateful.
More patina than paint now... which is all well and good but one of the reasons the naked physist was there was to stop the thing looking as if it was suitable for a nursery.
Quite like the direction this one is taking - though fear that Sami's death has intruded. I spoke to him a few hours before he dropped dead, about finding suitable carers for his wife. Have to admit that his death has hit me hard - have been tearful - which is daft as he himself had no fears or anxieties about 'passing', as it is know among the zen-like hereabouts.
On the plus side, I'd been told that the man who lived in the van by the river, with whom I was on nodding terms, had died. When I told him he assured me he hadn't.... so thats good. Nice chap. Has heating in the van, is OK with the cold.
Not quite true. Woke with a clear resolution of one and implemented it; disaster. But in trying to correct, found some tricks. Was using my fave transluscent shiny paint and in rubbing off the reddish one overpainted with shiny pale blue which gave a curious metalic finish. All wrong however, but in getting rid of that found the transluscent paynes grey and rippled over the lot, picking out details in ivory black. Well, we'll see how it all dries.
So, why bother? The resolution of problems brings pleasure.
Is the pleasure proportionate to the difficulty of the problem?
All problems are unsolvable until they are resolved and then they are trivial (can't remember who said that, a mathematician I thnk - but yup, right)
The rabbit skater one is provisionally about the physicist - who is unweaving the rainbow.
The rest?? We'll see... don't remember being this clueless before (though Im sure I must have been) and slightly concerned for my addled brain, since I am of an age. But no point freting.
It gets worse and worse. Telling myself, comme d'hab., that this is how it works. But why??
Fairly patchy night as the dreams kicked in - got the painting sorted, totally resolved, did not takes notes, cant remember a thing.
