She Walked Away

pain as motivator

I need to work.

If you're not already familiar with South African artist William Kentridge, you might want to look him up.

 

 

 

New Favorite Holiday

Have a heart. I hate 2/14.

 

An associate sent me an instant message this morning, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

I replied, "Not my favorite holiday, but I will take it!"

The response was one of the best things I have heard in a long time... "Not my favorite, either. My favorite holiday is February 15. Discount Chocolate Day."

the cleanest paintbrush

There is no sand where I live, so it isn't realistic to go about drawing lines in it. If it isn't too late, I would like to state a new year's resolution: to use my paint brushes more. Kill them with kindness. Wear them out and buy new ones.

Funny, as a student I could ill afford to buy nice brushes. I use a mix of expensive brushes - purchased at sale prices - and cheap brushes. I cared for each one like it was the last brush I would ever own.

Now that I can afford to buy nice brushes, I need to carve out time to paint so that I can wear out my brushes. That's the goal.

I am gearing up for a new painting project similar to the one during which I made 32 paintings in July. I will be hiring someone to convert my garage this spring. At the very least, I wish to have electricity out there and some deck flooring. If nothing else, I'll insulate and add either drywall or plywood walls for reinforcement. If I paint all summer, I'll need a fan. If I paint at night, I'll need lights. Progress is slow, but the reward will be great.

 

 

Resting up for a fresh start

Things at work have been stressful. Some of it is likely exacerbated by my exhaustion. I took the afternoon off on Friday and have not been working this weekend. I'll need to do some work tonight to prepare for a deadline tomorrow, but it has been a restful couple of days in the meantime.

Stress is a sneaky little bitch and if you don't stop her in her tracks, she can destroy you.

My reaction to stress varies, but it often involves some indulgences, some self-reflection, and a lot of shutting down. The latter reaction has caused me to realize that my garage-to-studio conversion MUST happen. The sooner the better, too. I need to be able to leave out paints and pick up a brush on a whim. My current arrangement doesn't allow for painting indoors, and even if I could, I would be required to set up and tear down each and every time I wanted to work.

I will get there. The time for balance may have presented itself some tme ago, but I haven't ignored it and I will not put it off any longer than necessary.