September 8 - Massachusetts

Good evening intrepid followers! It is late and I am going to bed, but wanted to update.

It has been awhile since I posted; I have been busy and much has been accomplished! My studio is finally to the point where I can actually use it. Yay! Yes, some work remains, but it is minor compared to what it looked like a few months ago.

Studio few months ago

I will actually be able to paint and use the room for my intended purpose! I unpacked many boxes in there. Found ALL my computer hardware that connects to the desktop computer in there and got it all hooked up (yes, I did it myself, and yes it all works properly :) ).

Art stuff & rug

My easel is set into place, as well as most of my art supplies. THAT makes me very happy! I even have a new rug put down. The rug set I ordered for the living room came with an extra, smaller, room rug. Fits my studio perfectly.

Easel

My brother has been away the past two weekends for some needed vacation time. I was on "cat duty". Last weekend (Labor Day) I had a few friends over. They helped moving some of the bigger boxes, which was most welcome. We had a little barbecue - hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad. Not fancy, but very welcome that day.

The "Dutch boy" cement statue is complete and in place outside!! THAT makes me happy as well :) I am now working on the "Dutch girl" statue. These things weigh about 60 pounds each. No I am not kidding: they are solid cement and as tall as my knee (a little over 21"). I cannot move them far on my own.

Here are some "before" and "after" pix of the boy statue. A daunting undertaking. But I needed to paint something! So glad I did! He looks much happier now :)

Dutch boy before

Dutch boy after

Dutch boy before

Dutch boy after

 Made the mistake of looking at my other weathered yard statues.... sigh. On my "to do" list to refurbish. I have a raccoon, a dove on top of a nest (2 pieces), and an angel.

My friend took the boy outside and brought the girl inside. I am working on her. Now that the humidity is down the painting is going much faster. Plus with the first one under my belt I know what to expect and will be able to complete it more quickly.

Here are some "before" pix of the girl. Pretty rough shape!

Dutch girl

Dutch girl

When she is done I will resume work on the canvases I started last Winter in Maine. Oils. They are my passion.

There are so many art mediums - charcoal, pastel, colored pencil; tempera, watercolor, acrylic, enamel, oil.

I have tried, own, and do, use them all. They all have their uses but I always return to oils. Some people think oils are difficult to work with - yes and no.

You do need a moderate talent of drawing to begin with. Otherwise it does not work out so well. I think that talent (drawing) is likely a bit innate. My drawing skills fall somewhere in the middle. Prior to doing an oil painting, one must draw at least a rough outline on canvas.

Charcoal pencils

With more precise paintings (ships for example) I make a grid, then draw the picture (perspective).

There is something about painting with oils that stirs me deep inside. Yes, they take forever to dry and chew through brushes shamelessly. The turpentine required to clean (and mix) messes with my hands (no manicures!). As do some of the other solvents and chemicals (fixatives, etc.). It requires a change of clothes in which to paint.

Oil paints are expensive, depending on the color. A 5 oz. tube of Grumbacher Titanium white costs about $15. It is the most common color one uses, and relatively inexpensive comparatively. You mix it with everything. Most come in 1.32 oz. (5 oz.. does not sound large, but in oils it is huge).

5 oz. Titanium white

Some colors cost upwards of $40/$50. For a 1 oz. tube. You need to prioritize the colors you want. Some are very hard to find; some are not made any more. Due to their chemical components.

Oil painting requires blending colors, so you need a good eye for color and know what works together and does not. Cerulean or Thalo blue with Cadmium or Naples yellow?

Brushes start at size 000 and work their way up from there. It is incongruous, but the smaller the brush the more expensive. Russian sable is the best, but also the most pricey.

So between the price of the paints, brushes, the mixing and dry time - yeah, they are the "yes" part of the difficult people have working with oils.

So there is that.

However - for me there is nothing more satisfying than putting oil to canvas. I love the feel of oil under my brush; I love mixing the colors. I love how the paints flow onto canvas and can be manipulated from creamy smooth to a gritty ocean sand. Gentle soft flowers or roaring white ocean. I love the feel, the smell. I breathe it all in; zone out and paint. Sit back satiated & so satisfied.

That is the "no" part of the "oils are hard/difficult". They are not. It simply requires patience.

Painting oils reaches my soul in a way that is complicated to describe. No other type of paint comes close as far as I am concerned.

It is a feeling that stems from deep inside. Maybe you are born with it. I have been painting since I was a very young child. My earliest memories are painting watercolors before I was even in school. Then paint-by-numbers - oils. My Mom signed me up for classes when I was in Elementary School, and every year for Christmas I got paints:) I took classes for years after, well into my adult years.

So yeah, there is that too.

That is how far back my love affair with oils goes. Yes oils are/can be difficult. Heaven knows I have had my issues with them throughout the years. In the end, however, I always return to the canvas :)

Stay tuned, my friends!

August 27 - Massachusetts

There is a "National string cheese day". Who knew? It is September 20 (I learned from today's paper) . I do not care for the stuff. While I firmly believe in Kraft singles (thank you, whoever invented them), my taste in cheese runs to the real thing: brie, swiss, cheddar (milder cheeses). String cheese - why?

Your trivia for the day.

No pix today, just a short-ish post.

I was incorrect last week when I said no one could see my blog followers. As my sister pointed out. I do not normally view my blog from a reader's perspective; typically I log in as the author. Thus I did not know. I tried it, and yes, the names do pop up when you hover over "followers". Although I did change the title on that! Humor me :)

I did a bit of work in the front room / soon to become studio. Caught up with daily tasks. Spent a very enjoyable Friday afternoon with a neighbor sitting on my deck. Weather was perfect. Next week I have to buckle down and make some real headway in there. Smaller of the 2 bedrooms, but perfect for my needs - and has a FULL bath in there as well! Half the boxes are reference books and paperwork which can be discarded now (the paperwork, not the books). The rest is art supplies & computer equipment.

But at least I am down to that! Far cry from my box-filled kitchen & living room of several months ago!

Spoke with my best friend from Webster the other night. She and her husband are going to visit the weekend after Labor Day. I am hoping they will spend the night so we can grill up some steaks or kebabs or something :)

As a last note, I FINALLY finished painting my Dutch boy yard statue. In retrospect, it was painful from my perspective. The Dutch boy & girl statues are solid cement & predate my time. They belonged to my grandmother. For anyone who has not tried to refurbish / restore a yard ornament: it requires special 'outdoor' acrylics. Several coats as cement sucks them up like someone in desperate need of water. Rough edges; hard to paint to my standards. Verrrrry long cure time on the paint.

He is done, just needs 2 coats of sealer. Then I can paint the Dutch girl. Yay. At least I know what I am in for :)

Stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 23 - Massachusetts

Good afternoon intrepid followers! Special "thank you" to those who signed on to be Followers on my blog. No one but I can view who you are, if that is any comfort to those who are undecided.

This past Saturday I was FINALLY able to host a BBQ here! Both my siblings, and my sister's Significant Other were here. It was so nice, and we had such a great time. The weather cooperated, and although it was hot (to be expected in August), it did not rain. My sister brought me some gorgeous flowers!!

Flowers!

I love getting flowers and having fresh flowers in the house. These had a purple theme and miniature roses. Absolutey lovely, and totally unexpected.

Gave my sis & her S.O. the short tour; she had been here shortly after I moved in (filled with boxes) but he had not. It was so worth the work I put in last week trying to make the place company friendly! (Not only for them, but I have really been enjoying it too. So OK brother - you were right. Again :) )

Had some appetizers on the deck - brother made an awesome crab dip & I had made deviled eggs, complemented with a round of wine slushies. A bit later brother fired up my new little grill for the meal: terriyaki & sesame ginger marinated chicken legs. Wish I got a pic of those! They were huge! I do not think I would want to meet the chicken they came from. Grilled fresh asparagus with Hollandaise sauce and my pasta salad finished the meal.

Deviled eggs

Pasta salad

We were too full for dessert right then, but decided on another round of wine slushies! Well - I had the ingredients & an open bottle of wine already.

So why not? They were the hit of the day, I think! They were pureed frozen strawberries and wine topped with pureed frozen peaches and wine. I had made the peach part the day before. So yum!

Wine slushies

Wine slushies

Not as "yum" as my sister's dessert! It was heavenly. Graham cracker crust topped with strawberry, banana, and pineapple with a thin cake and Cool Whip mixed in between.


 
Wow!! It was sooo yummy. I rolled into bed that night!

It was the perfect afternoon with the people I love best. Life does not get any better than that :)

I have not done a heck of a lot this week. To be truthful, I have been enjoying having the living room space actually BE a living room. Sans (most of) boxes. I have been reading in the evening. I would say 'guilty pleasure' but I do not consider reading a waste of time. Far from it. To me, reading feeds the mind, just as art feeds the soul.

I will work on my studio the rest of this week and next. My brother is taking some much deserved & needed vacation time for himself, so I have two weeks. I am confident I will make progress :)