30 09 2023

 Firmly finished. Enough enough

PS I've been obliged to take my blood pressure regularly because its too high. I took it after finishing the painting and its well down, lower than my normal. Curious coincidence :)

26 09 2023

 

Signed and dated - can fiddle with it forever but don't want to. Need to dry thoroughly then photograph properly - now back to the things Id shelved in order to get this one done.

25 09 2023

 

Can fiddle with this forever but am just waiting for the paint to settle a bit before darkening the foreground a bit. 

24 09 2023

 Mystery portrait accepted, they like it. Will post when published. (?Feb)

Gods Walking now nearly finished and though smug still is an attractive painting, for such a depressing subject. Will finish today. 

Which leaves the three unfinished pix I started the Gods Walking to avoid. 

23 09 2023

 Photographed the mystery portrait and ready to send to commissioners; not sure it is a decent likeness but it's a decent painting. 

BUT a nice thing - a really nice thing, for a change - when I happened to be pottering in the studio yesterday morning. As the sun rose it touched the Walking Gods pic and totally changed it. Took my breath away. It was what I was aiming for but hadn't known. 

The wonderful iridescent paints I use have a life of their own. 

Did some hasty turpsy brush notes on top - probably ruined the surface - so I'd remember what's to be done, since yesterday and (so far) most of today is domestix. 

Extraordinary that a shaft of light can be a validation. Was on the brink of giving up as the thing had a smug sententiousness that was hateful and though that won't completely go it will get carried in other ways. 

21 09 2023

 Safely through the covid - surprisingly well, the arthritis seems to have gone with it, is that normal? Perhaps a weeks bedrest is just a good thing. Slept none stop. 

Second studio fairly clear now, been tidying and darting about all the unfinished pieces everywhere.

Made a serious mistake trying to glaze mystery portrait - used caput mortem instead of burnt sienna - how?? - the result looks like a bad case of sunburn. This painting is a catastrophe but i'm getting many lessons from it. Today, more oil and a phylocyanide glaze. And whats left of the caput mortem will hang nicely on the Gods Walking painting.

14 09 2023

 Got to Aix... saw the shows... came back with covid. 

08 09 2023

 Off to Aix-en-Province to see the Max Ernst show - back Monday - public transport permitting, its bus and train all the way.

07 09 2023

 Plodding on. 

Still dibbling at portrait, so wishing for an actual sitting...

03 09 2023

 Ploughing on... trying, labouring, to make the interdependency point.