So much to learn and do

I am cautiously optimistic about the kitchen. I think it will be finished before the year is up and will be usable before then - I plan to cook Thanksgiving dinner there! Next week the stone people are coming to measure for countertops; the appliances should arrive later in the week also. I am so excited. If I can just get my plumber to quit going off in different directions I will also have a sink soon. Today he installed a light at the back door. It was nice to come home to a lighted porch, but the project, which he said would take an hour took much longer. Then he had to go over to the shop because one of his buddies gave us his old camper. I haven't seen it. Maybe I will use it as a studio - it has running water, a bathroom and heat after all!

See the lovely light? Right now it has a 100 watt bulb because that was all that was handy, but with that white reflector it will give plenty of light with many fewer watts. There will be one on the garage just like that one. 
I have been trying to clean a little and have begun moving little things into the kitchen, but my biggest cleaning has been in the studio where I am once again moving things around into what I hope is a better arrangement. I keep hoping to find the best of the best. This time I have also brought some old paintings from NC and posted them on my inspiration boards so that I can see where I have been and where I am now artistically. I can see what I should have done to them but I don't really know whether to work into them again or leave them as a record. You might notice that I attended a life drawing class. Some of these exercises are very old from quilting classes on color, etc. It is fun to look at them again before they bite the dust.



I have two last photos to show you. From my studio I can look into the kitchen. That is very homey feeling. 

And here are two little pieces that I did while I was watching (listening as Dean watched) the TV last night. The photo actually should be sideways, but with abstracts like this direction is not so important. One was a piece I did with water soluble paint sticks and the lower one was done with water color. I am learning to keep working and not stop as soon as it might be finished. So much to learn. Such a late start. But it is something I find that I just have to do, this drawing and painting. 


I just finished reading Van Gogh: The Life (I think that is the name of it). If you are a fan, you should read this long but very good book. It delves deeply into his life and work. 

All is well, 
XOXOXO
Caroline


Comments

Chrissy said…
I didn't realise that your studio is in another building. Have I not been paying attention?

Re Van Gogh: have you seen that there is to be a film, out in 2015, called Loving Vincent? This is a link to the trailer. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3LSfvcmrf0

My goodness, you certainly deserve that new kitchen! I am so looking forward to seeing the end result - not as much as you though!
November 3, 2013 at 1:50 PM
Vicki Styons said…
First a sister note: you have a typo. Can't remember exactly what now. I think it was quite for quit. Evidently your fingers could not stop in time!

Second: WHO is cooking Thanksgiving dinner???? Inquiring minds want to know...

Third: in the top painting I really like how the green appears to cast a shadow on the red. Good job and, of course, I like the one at the bottom also.

Fourth: Why am I not painting?
November 3, 2013 at 7:42 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting

Image
Last week I painted four(4) canvases and I like them. I won't say that they are finished because as long as they are in my possession they are open to more work. You might have seen this one on FB although I have added the little circle near the bottom left. I painted the background that wonderful orangey yellow thinking that I would paint marigolds, using the yellow and painting in the other colors and leaves. In fact, I chalked in the flowers to see how they would fit but then decided that I really wanted to do an abstract so I made the line on the left and smeared it out. After that I made that shape to the right, added the shape at the bottom and then added lines wherever they seemed to belong. The drips were made by spraying the paint when it was wet. It didn't seem quite finished so , the next day after thinking about what was lacking, I added the circle (it is a kind of greenish and metallic color) and I am finished. It has not been named as of yet.  This was
Read more

Rain, lovely rain

Image
We are having a long slow, soft rain and it is wonderful. We have lately had our share of hard winds, hard, rain, and hard heat.  Gentle is a nice change. So far the ground isn't saturated, but it is getting a good soak. The leaves on the redbud outside the dining room, gather drops. The leaves are huge and heart shaped and the effect is lovely. There is no breeze so the drops cling until the rain is harder or gravity finally pulls them to the ground. Out the front door the street is all shiny and the air is clean. The porch could stand some paint but that will have to wait for another, drier day. What you can't see here is a stack of newspapers that accumulated while we were gone and forgot to stop delivery and which I put off dealing with while it was so hot. They have to be freed from the plastic bag and rubber band , flattened and put with the recycling. Maybe I should just stop taking the paper, but It is good to keep up with the local happenings. All of you w
Read more

The things we do

Image
The things we do, whether for love or not. The sink in the downstairs bathroom has been draining ever more slowly and, as you know, we have no kitchen sink right now. Yesterday it took nearly an hour for the water from washing my hands to drain and I told Dean that something had to be done NOW. "Okay, " said Dean," I will cut a hole in the closet in our room and check the pipes". "Wait", said I, "Didn't you tell me that there is a clean out in the basement?Why not check that first." So putting aside his hats as airline pilot, attorney,  contractor and chef, Dean put on his plumbing hat and tackled the clean-out. I forgot my roles as artist, sewist, and became assist-ant to the plumber. Scene I, the basement. Ugh. Dean checks the clean-out and finds no clog there. Scene II, the bathroom. The snake is not budging any clogs.     C: What about a coat hanger?     D: That won't be strong enough.     C: Just a minute.   (I get a coat h
Read more