What are you working on?

[Iain]

We hope they are doing what they are supposed to, and helping.

I guess it doesn't matter what I say, I'll have you in stitches

 

[Artyczar]

I'm still not working much...still recuperating...and I'm getting pretty antsy in respect to not creating. I miss it, but I can't paint yet. I draw a little, but it's all half-assed. I either do it on my lap in a 12 x 12 inch sketchbook, or in a little 3.5 x 5 inch sketchbook.

I've been working more on the computer than anything--when I have some hours of concentration. But I'm impatient. I'm an impatient person when it comes to a lot of things. I learned what "FOMO" was the other day and I felt like it really applied to me (Fear of Missing Out).

Anyway, all I've really been doing is taking little quick composition sketches into Photoshop and coloring them. That just seems like the laziest thing on earth to me, but I guess it's better than absolutely nothing, right?

So here's one I'll be adding to the list of paintings to do when I get better. It will be a 16 x 20 inch oil on canvas:

Some of the flat colors will be blended a bit, but this is the basic gist.

 

[Iain]

I really like that. The brown, orange and green reminds me of 70's decor, which I have come to love for its glorious yuck. When I feel that I am wasting my time, doing something halfheartedly, that thing has often been useful. What's the word. Propitious? Surredipeditious? That is a dinosaur, isn't it? Having a diplodocus of a day today.

 

[Marksmomagain]

I have been working on cleaning and moving things around in my studio. I'm also cleaning and sorting out two big boxes of pastels I've recently aquired. There are over a thousand sticks (along with twice as many smaller pieces) and about sixty pans. I also got about four pounds of sanded paper.

I purchased a couple tool/small parts storage containers at Harbor Freight, and then made up foam core trays to fit them. I found some memory foam yoga pads at Lowes and cut them up... they work perfectly. I like wooden boxes much better, however did not have time to have them made (my Dad and uncles are busy rehabbing a house)... So I bought plastic/metal boxes and got them made up yesterday afternoon. It was a nice little project while everyone was out and the house was quiet... just me and my house cat...

I'm using cornmeal to clean the pastels and have changed it out three times already. These things are so dirty, it's a game to guess what colors they are under all that dust and dirt (they've been stored in a barn for many years). Their were pidgeon feathers in one of the boxes (only feathers, thank God). I had to discard some of the paper.... it had been peed on...

I'm going to finish them with the cornmeal cleaning, then put them away till we get some hot, sunny days where I can leave them outside to bake in the sun, maybe disinfect them a little (?). Do you good people think this is worth doing? Will the sun hurt them?

Thanks and have a safe day..

 

[Iain]

I don't know about the pastels, but I can relate to the satisfaction behind getting things in order. And being alone in the house with the cat.

 

[Artyczar]

I also do not know about the pastels. Great that you're getting organized though and your cat must be getting a lot of attention.

I've been buying a few more new supplies to get back to work for painting (acrylics). I'm waiting for a big plastic mat to place over my drawing table which will be here Friday. I already got a few new paints and gesso, along with some acrylic paper that's already pre-gessoed. I don't know if I'll actually be able to paint yet, but maybe soon. It honestly still hurts to move my arms, but drawing is not so bad, or sketching rather, so I'm doing a bit of that. I would not be able to paint at an easel though. Who knows when.

 

[Marksmomagain]

Blessings and wishes for a successful recovery to you.

 

[Artyczar]

Thank you Marksmomagain.

 

[E.J.H.]

Patience is a virtue when it comes to recovery. Listen to your body and don't overdo it! Taking the time and rest to recuperate is not laziness, it's prudent. All the best.

 

[snoball]

I agree with E.J.H, Arty. Listen to your body, if you don't take the time to heal you could be out for a lot longer.
I haven't been doing anything productive lately. I've had doctor appointments, business for my sister along with regular household duties and there just hasn't been time. Plus it is Spring and I want to be outside. Of course you wouldn't know it is Spring on some days, we had a quick 3 inches of snow just a couple of days ago. Melted really quick but it was sure out of the ordinary.

 

[Artyczar]

That's the best advice there is. Truly. I really have been taking it easy. I can't even really draw at a table yet, just in my lap. I can kind of work a few compositions out on the computer when I sit here, but I'm in the recliner most of the day. Now I have a little infection I am dealing with, so I am down and sad about that.

Spring is beautiful here right now. All the wild flowers are in full bloom and I try to sit on the porch a little bit every day. I should start taking some pictures for you guys, but I keep forgetting. Especially because our rose bushes are going to be taken out soon. It's a need-to-do kind of thing. They require a lot of water! Why the old owners planted them here is a mystery. They don't belong in the high desert and need to be replaced with native plants. I've been picking some out: an ocotillo, some barrel cacti, and a big aloe vera. It will be better in the long run.

 

[E.J.H.]

I love succulents, I am a bit envious of your garden!
(But I really can't complain about my own surroundings )
I appreciate your attitude, and agree, best to grow what fits in the local ecosystem/climate.

 

[Artyczar]

I do feel a bit bad about pulling live rose bushes out, but they just drink so much water! A barrel cactus need to be watered ONCE between a three month span. Might as well let the rain deal with it.

 

[E.J.H.]

I understand your hesitation, they are very lovely roses!

 

[Artyczar]

I know, right? The big rose tree bush is where the ocotillo will go. Probably a six-foot tall one. Barrel cacti are extremely expensive, so I may only have one or two. I'll have to figure something else out for the third--the one that gets the most shade up front, but I have to think of something that the bunnies can't easily devour.

 

[Iain]

My ears shot up when Barrel cactus were mentioned. The symmetry. The pale yellow spines, banded, against the green. Ouch! Another thing I let go...

Spoken like a true minimalist.

Roses? What are you people on? Peyote?

Edit: I meant to mention the title of something (nothing really) I am working on. It is called "Yawn." That is, an actual yawn. So, for instance, if somebody were to ask the title of the work the correct response would be a yawn. Of course, afterwards, one would have to explain. Or maybe not.

 

[Iain]

My god, that is a beautiful spot you have there!

I have cut back and dug around a Black Mulberry tree I planted nearly a decade ago. It took seven years to fruit and last year was the second season it did so. Unfortunately the fruits do not ripen fully before the cold weather sets in. Something like that. Black mulberries (Morus nigra) are the sweetest juiciest fruit you won't find in a store. The berries are delicate and burst staining the hands as they are harvested.

Excuse my quip, personal bias against roses. I do have the wild Dog Rose growing along the perimeter facing the woodland. Roe deer nibble on the tips.

Yawn.

 

[ntl]

Arty, Hope you're feeling better. You do have a beautiful spot. People in Tucson also plant roses, they do well there. If your yard is like there, you'll soon have the opportunity for arm and back exercises--bending down to pull the weeds!

 

[Artyczar]

Thanks ntl. We're in the high desert. Roses do not do well here. They practically die in the summer, freeze in the winter. The rest of the terrain is totally natural and there's no need to do any gardening or weed-pulling here.

 

[Maybenartist]

People that plant roses, mean to stay. Or so it was said somewhere by one of those wise old types in some past century