Sunday, June 22, 2008

a good stopping place


quiet (unfinished). pencil and oilbar on recycled (hence the rough gesso job) canvas. 18X24

one thing I really appreciate about my mother's childrearing beliefs is that, even though we were taught to be repectful and obedient, she in turn respected us, our needs, our opinions. I can still remember being awakened as a small child and saying on some (ok, probably MANY) days, "I just need to wake up slow." This request always granted one another 5 to 10 minutes. In fact, I think Mom cleverly woke us up early just to allow these last few minutes of lingering dreams.

Likewise, she always encouraged and allowed us to "come to a stopping point" in games, books, projects, etc. when it was time to shift gears and clean up or start dinner, etc. So, here I am, following Mom's advice (always a good policy): this is my stopping place.

I worked on this yesterday. When I picked it up today, expecting to be able to lay colour over yesterday's work (it's so hot, surely it would have dried enough, yes?), I was surprised when I realized I was mixing the colours, not layering. Uf! That, and my limited quantity of turpenoid (cleaner - the new bottle is packed) forced a decision: come to a stopping point, so that this unfinished project doesn't eat at me for the next few weeks, then let it dry for a week, pack it, and finish in Seattle.

So. There's still work to be done, certainly, but I'm satisfied with how it's coming along.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

As well you should be. What a haunting, lovely piece. Is she you?

Thanks for stopping by my blog, lady!

Anonymous said...

Hey lady, I'd be honored to be a part of your blogroll! Just popped you into mine, too.

Cocoa Pod said...

I love seeing people's artwork when I know what the artist looks like. It is so fascinating that in most cases features that the artist have so do the painting. Maybe that is just me though, or perhaps it is a self portrait?