03.18.08 Today, the idea seems more about concept. I was casting about the studio looking for ideas when I lighted on the coppery ends of some 20 gauge shotgun shells. By themselves relatively boring but with the addition of a toy mammoth , it all changed. Suddenly, here was a creature moving through a strangely dark and ominous forest………
03.19.08 Well, it has now been three weeks with this years version of the flu. Malaise, weakness and a cough. But it is all slowly dissipating. I am grateful though. I still have been able to drag my carcass to the easel to do the the daily study. I think I have missed a day or two but I am planning to double up to catch up. I am beginning to find that finding something to paint is becoming part of the challenge. You begin thinking a bit more creatively of ways to combine objects. Recently, I am looking for objects with widely divergent properties to place together.
03.17.08 Ran across a vendor of farmed oysters out of Matunuck at a local farmers market. He opened a couple for me to try. O ya, they were great! I decided to buy a dozen for reference…….ok, ok, a dozen may be a few more than I actually need : ).
My paint setup for this was low and I was actually looking down onto the now emptied oyster shells. While I was knee deep in this study concentrating a vague pink that kept flitting across the shadow areas, I heard sniffing sounds. I looked down and, to my horror, there was Mojo, our new 7 month old pup. He was earnestly checking out the setup and looking like he was ready to get on with the fun at hand. There I am tied up because my gloved hands are as usual are covered with paint and Mojo is one of those dogs who explores his world not only by smelling but also by taste testing everything. With much shooing and cajoling, I got him to leave the studio. Saved! Hurrah, a disaster narrowly averted! A sigh of relief escaped me and I settled back into the study. Five minutes later, he returned. It could have been the strong smell of shellfish but somehow I think it was just to watch the panic on my face. I swear I saw a fleeting smile cross that muzzle. He plunked himself down to snooze nearby.