Cloth Study

This is the latest painting study I did at Geoff's. The colours in the photo are off - the cloth is much redder than that (red-violet), and the top of seat isn't that yellow - but it gives you an indication.

I'm quite happy with it - especially the intensity of the hues. The drawing is OK, too, although some of the cloth got a bit muddled on the third painting session, because it was removed and placed on again, and of course, the folds didn't cooperate by falling back into the exact places they were before. Which is something a painter has to deal with, and I dealt with it half successfully.

I want to do more cloth studies, maybe even a drapery series.

The Hammer

So, I have hired a life coach, Chris Hammer, who I am calling "Hammer" or "HAMMER" or "The Hammer." I am hoping that he can help me to write what I need to write, paint what I need to paint, maybe start a band again, I dunno. I should say just figure out what it is I NEED to do, and then do it, and be happy along the way.

This comes on the heels of last week, where I spent two figure drawing sessions unable to achieve anything: I ended up with a scrubbed-down canvas at the end of 2 days. And that's "okay" in itself, but I beat myself up pretty bad about it, and was earnestly considering abandoning painting entirely. I felt that I "am not" a painter (as if that is something that is bestowed upon you, independent of actually spending a lot of time painting!), and that I might as well spend my time on something else, or just give in and start watching a lot more TV.

But I hate TV.

So I started cleaning up my act, getting off coffee, not eating junk, eating lots more vegetables, doing more exercise. I also took the past few nights off, bought some new clothes, a cool hat, a few books I wanted, generally took care of myself in little ways that I had been neglecting. And hired a life coach.

Somehow in all of that, I totally turned around and started feeling fantastic! Which I still do (other than I've been finding it hard to get up in the morning). I am going to spent part of the day tomorrow finishing my plein air of the Bow River, then go for a bike ride, then do some figure drawing at night. I am going to focus on drawing for a while, both at figure drawing and at home. Part of the problem last week was that I simply couldn't see where my drawing was off. I was unable to see the figure accurately. It felt almost like a physical thing (though I am sure it is not). I would look at the figure, draw something, look at my painting, and I could tell there was a difference, but I was totally unable to see where I was going wrong. So for now, I am going to draw the figure, probably just a one-session block-in each time, and then focus on painting at home and with Geoff. Oh, and Doug Williamson and I have a paint date.

And what else?

I need a new place to live. But that's a story for another time.