I've lost a great deal of the simple things in life that made up my daily routine. Very few people realize just how comforting such routines are in the life of someone who appears so outwardly crazed. But really, that phone call, that text, that late night hug all added a sense of grounding to my crazy existence. Those routines require another person, a person I don't have access to. At first this realization was upsetting, but as time passes and the distance grows, I realize once again that I am in control of my own comfort and I can create new routines that comfort and ground my life. Today's painting is what I hope is the start of a new routine. I find peace and comfort when I paint, it's the closest I come to having a quiet mind.
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Awkwardly positioned delicate object and a big shadow from an unseen source... I think I'll call this one a self portrait. Tons of mardi gras beads hang from my easel - I find them really beautiful and extremely tempting. Tempting because I am always tempted to add them to my composition. I love the colors and I enjoy the reflections and highlights on ach bead. Unfortunately, they are too much. Every time I add them, I regret it. I never learn from this mistake. Three day weekends are a gift from the gods. Thanks to this extra day of "rest" I managed to get the car serviced, clean the garage, prep healthy food for the week, hang some art, AND PAINT! This is my new friend, little bird. He's a Lenox figurine from my mom's house - but he may originally hail from Marion or my fraternal grandmother. I'm excited to see where he takes me and hopeful about finding some time to paint him. This is the first image that was not created in one "sitting" - I actually paint standing, but whatever... I drew it and then went to dinner. Upon returning home, I started painting with exactly one hour to spare before the start of Breaking Bad - the only TV show I am currently watching. The Sunday Night Football game was also on during the painting... I literally ran back and forth from the painting to the TV during commercial breaks to wrap this one up. It is admittedly a bit rushed, which is a shame because I am fond of the composition. This one will get added to the pile of paintings that could be improved with a bit more time. Despite the rush, I am glad I got to take a break and paint tonight. I spent the entirety of the last 48 hours working on "school stuff" - be it college or middle school. September is a busy month - another reason why I should have finished this project in AUGUST. A month is 30 or 31 days. At minimum, a month is 28 days. So, I will keep painting until I have a minimum of 28 kachinas - but hopefully until I have 31. It is unfortunate that I was unable to paint for 28 or 30 or 31 days consecutively, and I did state that my goal was to paint "every day", but life got in the way and thus the goal must be modified. I had time today and I had motivation so I painted. Another fairly simple image (I like these the best) and another composition that is very centralized - thus not so successful. I'm starting to wonder if part of the centralizing issue stems from the fact that I am using square structures.... I found a random set of oils while cleaning out my office/studio closet and have been using them for the last two paintings. They are not as nice a quality as my normal oils - Windsor & Newton Winton Oils - and they smell funny. I have no clue where they came from and I am slightly worried that they are those stupid water-soluable oils that some high school art programs use. If that is the case, it could explain why they don't react as nicely as my normal paints - especially when thinned. The past week has been hectic. Too hectic to paint, though, after spending about an hour on this little guy, I realize I probably could have squeezed an hour in somewhere to keep on schedule. Some days it is hard to take the time to paint because that feels like selfish time and there has been so much "stuff" outside of "me" that has required my time this week. I love my full life but some days it is hard to keep up with the maximized schedule I make for myself. If I challenge myself in this way again I don't think I will chose the month of August. July would probably be a better month to work on this type of project because the school year is still far away. Critique of today: Kachina is centered and as compositions go that is boring. I do like the minimal inclusion of the guitar but the more significant inclusion of the other object shadows. I think I will play with that idea more in the future - 'other' shadows in the space of the object. Kachina itself looks a bit flat and non-dimensional. Not exactly sure what happened there... I think I should have looked more carefully at this board before painting and oriented it differently to minimize the large knot. My BIG Dilemma: Today is 8/31, the last day of August. This project was stated to as a one month painting project. The month is over, but due to missed days, I only have 25 paintings and not 31 (or 32 which is the number of boards I started with). I'm really not sure what to do now. Do I finish out the boards and paint one more week of kachinas? Or do I call it quits on the kachina because the month of August is over? To complicate matters more, school starts on Tuesday and I am not sure I will have the time to paint with the added demands of a new school year. If you have been reading/watching this as it unfolded I am curious to know your thoughts. Keep going? Stop? Finish at my leisure due to school demands? Paint two-a-day between now and Tuesday? Comment, help me decide what to do. |
Lora Marie DurrDuring my undergraduate studies, I spent a great deal of time in the painting studio working with traditional oils. Teaching middle school art for the past 12 years has taken me away from those roots. This "one a day" project is aimed at re-inspiring that creativity and technique. Archives
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Other "one a day" painting blogs to check out:
Hannah Phelps Kellie Marian Hill Carol Marine Lisa Daria Darren Maurer Carol Aust Karin Jurick The usual Subjects |