My posts have been conspicuously absent this month. I
apologize for that. But as a friend told me, after 40 you just don’t fluff as
fast after major surgery. And I am way beyond 40. Things are headed in the
right direction but I need to build stamina. I have a goal of painting before
the week is out. And that means stuffing the car, so I do need some energy. But we have not been standing still here, hugging our tummies......no my husband went to work on the studio.
While I have been recuperating, hubby has taken down the
large whale-sized rollup door in the studio, which was very noisy and not
energy efficient in the least. And he has built in its place a wall, nice and
tidy and tight. When the wall is completely taped, mudded and painted it will
provide a nice large shelf for painting storage in between shows and for
keeping what inventory does not immediately sell. Along that wall will be a
flat paper storage unit, and a low 2 shelf bookcase. That will allow me to get
rid of 3 small bookcases that pop up here and there in the studio, taking up
valuable floor space and adding to the visual clutter. The middle expanse of
wall will be used to hang pieces for a while as I think them over. I do muddle
through some pieces.
Already it is amazingly quiet in the studio. Not the raucous
mess it was before. Living atop a mountain in Wind Canyon, that door had plenty
of opportunity to be loud and intrusive when I worked. I am so pleased that it
is gone. What a lovely birthday gift.
I have been reading art books, and re-viewing my many art
DVDs while I have been getting over this surprise appendectomy. It has been a
time to recharge and think about my work. So I hope it has not been wasted. I
will miss some shows I wanted to be in due to simply not being up to it. And
that is galling to someone who has no patience with being a patient. I was in
two shows during that time and did garner a ribbon. So all was not wasted. But
as I get older I find I am more miserly of my time. I do not want to waste one
day of it not painting.
OK, so where is that magic energy pill???
What was your favourite art book and which was your favourite DVD?
ReplyDeleteI would have to list The Portrait Sketch by Jeremy Lipking, minus the commentary, as my favorite DVD at the moment. I found the banter between him and Tony Pro inane at times. But to watch Jeremy paint is to watch a master at work. His work does at times remind me of some of the great Illustrators of the 40s and 50s. But his brushwork is a joy and the discipline of his values is a major lesson in itself.
DeleteAs for books, I don't have a current favorite. I do like to pick parts of books and re-read them over until I distill the information in my mind. I do like Clyde Aspevig's Visual Music and Ken Auster's new book. Both are consummate painters, thinking about their work very differently. I fond that when I read how artists think about their work, it makes me think about my own differently too. And that is a definite good thing.