Wrecking and Rebuilding

Discombobulating

“The Discussion” 24 x 18 acrylic on wood panel, and in situ.

What a weird day this was for me. I woke up early, I heard Dennis leaving for work. I got used to him not going to work since he took some time off the past two weeks. I got up and drank what was left of the coffee and went outside to start watering the front yard. It’s been hot and dry the past two days and we got spoiled by all the rain. Now it’s time to start paying attention to the yard again. I took the girls for their walk, it’s time for me to take a day off of running after two good runs so far this week.

I completely forgot to take my medications this morning, I don’t know why. I hardly ever forget. But I didn’t realize it until 11 am, when I was feeling discombobulated and frustrated. I needed to do something different, painting was not going well. I was feeling a little burned out and irritated, and I couldn’t identify the source. I couldn’t figure out how to set the sprinklers right this morning, either. It’s like my brain took a leave of absence. I needed to get out of the house.

Before I cleaned up outside the studio, I pulled out a painting I started weeks ago and it sucked. It was not working at all, and was too dark in the background. I looked at the thing for a while and decided to start over. I began covering it with white paint and a little light aqua, then I pulled out some raw sienna and threw some blobs around. I got the trowel and started dragging the white across. There was a ton of texture along with some bright saturated color in the original painting, and that was what made all the difference. In just about 30 minutes I ended up with an abstract painting I really like. See “The Discussion”, above. Surprised the hell out of me. That was enough for the day. I decided to take a break from the series, I haven’t touched it in a few days. I’ll get back to it soon enough.

I drove over to a nearby shopping center and went into Home Goods, just to look around. We need a new set of plates and bowls. After 35 years we still have a few from a set we got for our wedding, and some stray ones we have accumulated over the years and broke most of them. I also need a bigger tray for my paint palette, the cafeteria tray Nick sends in the CVP kit isn’t cutting it for me. I need a big baking sheet, one that will hold my palette paper. I found all the items I wanted but I wasn’t in the mood to stand in line to buy them, so I went home. I realized again I forgot to take my meds earlier, when I first remembered! I took them at 1:00. Soon I felt like I needed a nap, and I crawled into bed with Gypsy and started to fall asleep, when Dennis got home from work. That was my day.

Left: a floral in progress that I’m taking to critique group tomorrow night; Right: A painting I am wrecking, covering up, and in the process of changing completely.

I purposely didn’t pay attention to any news today because it just pisses me off. These people are so effing incompetent! Did you know that Tulsi Gabbard fed classified info into an AI program to see if it should remain classified? Yes she did. It’s true. These people are so detached from the demands of their jobs, they have no idea what they should be doing. Or should not be doing, is more like it. My dogs could do a better job.

This weekend is the No Kings protest and I’ve got my Pendejo voodoo doll locked up in a jail cell with handcuffs on and the jail cell box will be zip tied to the stick I’m carrying. There are already immigration protests in Denver. Fort Collins should be pretty tame. I just hope we get good turnout.

I’m coming down with a travel bug. Maybe it’s the feeling of needing to escape this stupid effing country filled with idiots. I can’t believe how many people are still going about their lives and acting like it’s business as usual because they don’t pay attention to anything and swallow the junk media diet they are fed.

I saw a Pendejo sticker on a car today (not literally, but the actual five letter name of the Orange one) and it was at a construction site, where they are building the high rise expensive senior living apartments. Most of the workers I see there speak Spanish. I wanted to bash in the windows of that car.

For some reason I cannot get Mexico out of my mind. I see the people flying Mexican flags in the LA protests and I love that. I don’t have time to go, but I did check air fares and they are inexpensive right now. I’ll have to wait several months or most likely until next year. I could fly into Puerto Vallarta with my Southwest points if they don’t expire, but then I’d have to take a long bus ride to the places I want to go- Oaxaca and Puebla and Guanajuato, and see the many historic sites in those cities. That’s all a lot of distance on the buses, even though they are comfortable. Those ideas are all rattling around in the back of my head.

For now, I will get out of town to Crested Butte in two weeks, which I cannot wait to do, and see my friend Keith!

Tomorrow is our coaching call for the workshop, then I’m doing a Zoom call with someone else I met in the workshop, and in the evening our critique group meets. I have a lot of things going on through the middle of the day Saturday, wrapping up with the protest. After this, just two weeks left of the workshop and then I will race to get ready for my first summer show in late July.

I’ll be back in a day or so as soon as I have some new or changed paintings. Thanks for reading!