All about art

Water series portrait 2
Stage 4
acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(I am not finished the background.
The sand will be the white, or
caramel coloured sand of the
Caribbean, and I may put in
surf if I can figure out how to
paint it in an abstract fashion.)

Today we drove to the other end of town, almost out of town
altogether to pick up my third model, a wonderful young
woman. Back at the house I took her picture in the pose
for the third painting in the water series, and she posed
for some other small paintings I may do when this series
is over.

We had a lot of fun, and she got to meet Sam, who is home
for the weekend from university and Zoey the dog, Timbah
the cat, and Fiona the cat.

Both Steven and I have grim colds. They remind me of the
cold we came down with in Florence, but the difference
is that we know which medicine to get here, and are
madly drinking special tea for colds, taking Cold FX and
today I got a combo that will stop the sniffling, which
really stops creativity in its tracks. Hurray.

So once that took effect I began working on the background
for the second painting. I want the lines of the water and
perhaps the tide pools to be at the same level in the paintings.
So I figured that part out and painted in the ocean and the sky.

This model wanted a Caribbean feeling ocean, sky and sand, so
the colour changes in this painting. I may leave the large bit of
blue over one eye when I work on the face a bit more, because
it is the colour of the sea too, and she is a water being in my
painting. Aha!

It's now very late, and I'm going to take the night time cold
medicine and go to bed. Lots of marking to do this weekend
too, so instead of my novel I'm reading final essays.

We are having our Easter dinner tomorrow night, because
Sam goes back to school on Sunday. So tomorrow will be
a very busy day. I'm not crazy about Easter, but my sons
like the bunny and the chocolate eggs, so we will cook a
turkey (I hope it's not as hot as it was today) and there
will be a hunt.

Have a celebrating-celebration day.

A fine finish to the day

Water series, painting 2,
Stage 3
Acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir © 2010

It has been a very beautiful day here. I taught this
morning and my class was wildly excited about
the prospect of a long weekend. This joy reached
a fever pitch because it was an exceptionally
beautiful and warm day.

When they the class was released I went home to
handle a series of chores. Finally I got back to my
painting, and I am very happy with how it's
going. The girl's face is just a beauty. I learned
this technique of putting the blue underneath
from a friend in my art club, George. I really
like how it works in these water paintings. Because
blue reads wet, reads water.

I am having so much fun painting. But it's late.
More tomorrow.

Have a getting-a-really-excellent-rest day.