A Fresh Start

I had a very pleasant painting session today - at last after a miserable week of false starts. I had taken a stab at the  canvas once or twice, but each time I was frustrated by not getting any mileage out of the acrylic paint. It simply did not spread. And the colors I was mixing were dreadful. I decided that before I wasted another minute or dime on paint, I wasn’t going to do anything more until the weekend when I would have time to go to my favorite art supply store - Bates - and seek the consul of the girls there.

But on Wednesday, Joani Rothenberg, a wonderful artist and friend, stopped by my office (Art by Joani). Just back from a trip to Kenya, Joani was bursting with stories. Her timing could not have been better. Her excitement was juxtaposed against my frustration. Joani had solutions and was only too eager to right my course. She invited me to come to her house/studio the next day, and as it turns out, this may have been the turning point I needed at this stage in the project.

Joani introduced me to her preferred brand of paints, Lukas from Germany. These delicious, creamy colors come in large squirt bottles (750 ml) and are as affordable as they are workable. She opened a closet chock full of goodies and together we sorted through dozens of colors. Take, take, take, she encouraged. I am uncomfortable with taking, but her enthusiasm and generosity and all those wonderful colors urged me to set aside some bottles of choice. I left with a large canvas bag filled with wonderful paint to experiment with. The large, affordable bottles of paint were exactly what I needed so that I could relax with the process and not fear wasting paint (and money).

Tonight was my first time using the Lukas paints. I loved squishing big blobs of color onto my palette and not being afraid to apply the paint with some thickness. I now have areas of the canvas that are completely covered so that no canvas shows through.

I may even have the inspiration I was looking for. Last weekend when I was speaking with my mom, she ever so hesitantly dropped a golden egg in my lap. “I never want to influence what you do,” she started (or said something to that effect) after listening to me lament over a lack of inspiration for this piece, “but I think you should make this painting an homage to Chipper.” The bell went off. Though I could not bear to part with Chipper’s ashes, I could return my beloved beast to her homeland by way of the painting.

I have thought about an homage to Chipper and tried to visualize how I could capture the beast’s spirit and our time together and the adventures we went on together. Something is starting to come together in my mind. I don’t want to commit to it in writing, but I may have a way of honoring the memory of my beloved pet, my companion for almost 16 years. My work tonight has begun to map this out.

Once I got started with the paint this evening, I relaxed and enjoyed feeling the brush sweep over the canvas. I miss the smell of oil, but during this session I began to figure out how to work with the acrylic paints. Zeke gave me all the freedom I needed to focus completely on my painting. He is such a wonderful partner, such a wonderful man, such a gift in my life. While I focused on my canvas, he prepared a delicious dinner and gave me the silence and space I needed to create. How incredibly fortunate I am to have so many loving, generous, encouraging and talented people around me. Whether the painting turns out to be anything special or not, the experience has already been invaluable for helping me recognize all of the incredible spirits around me.

This isn't much to look at because I am in the process of covering over the orange (hated it!), but it's coming along.