Walking the Plank

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to walk the plank on a pirate ship with my hands tied behind my back. But it actually sounds fun to walk the plank if I could just dive off into the ocean, swim for a bit, and then get back on board the boat. These planks, however, have nothing to do with pirate ships. They are planking on a pier near a boat ramp on a lake. They are weather worn and even a bit mossy in places. They are however, sturdy enough to keep the boaters, fishermen, and sightseers afloat as they walk out on the water and gaze across water. 

I've still got some work to do on them, but they are coming along nicely.

Define Definition

I spent a lot of time today adding definition to my misty painting. In words, a definition is the meaning of something - an explanation of the details of the meaning. In art, it is the clarifying of details to make the image more clear and understandable. Words are funny things. Defining definition is a bit like describing the taste of salt. It's fun to think about though, and it was fun to add definition and clarity to my painting as well. 

Marsh Grass

Grass is never easy to paint, at least not for me. I don't do many landscapes for that simple reason. Most people think that painting people is the most challenging and difficult. But the elements of a landscape cause me more grief than flesh and fabric. Grass doesn't grow in a mass, it grows one blade at a time. And yet our eye doesn't see every individual blade. As a painter, I strive to portray what we see, not necessarily what is. Grass also doesn't grow evenly. The individual blades grow in clumps, on uneven ground, and at different rates. Portraying all of this requires layer after layer of painting and working and reworking the canvas. Challenging, yet satisfying. Hakuna Matata. 

The Hawaiian Chieftan

The Chieftain comes into our port in Garibaldi every year. She is a fun vessel with a great purpose. You can read more about her here. She is involved in "educational cruises and ambassadorial visits along the west coast." I haven't been aboard her yet, but every time I see her I want to join the crew and live the life of a pirate for a while. I want to climb the rigging and sit in the crow's nest keeping a lookout for other ships and hopefully whales and dolphins. I would gladly swab the deck in trade for a bunk, and even more gladly cook in the galley. Of course, I also think I'm 18 when I have my little fantasies. Nevertheless, she does set me dreaming. Perhaps I've seen Peter Pan or Pirates of the Caribbean too many times. Or maybe I need to watch them again tonight.

Forgetting the Unforgettable

My mother-in-law passed away almost a year ago. We spent last week at her house working on preparing it to go on the real estate market. Before we left I packed up painting supplies so that I could continue to work even while away from home. I was actually excited about it because there is so much light in her house and I knew it would be a great opportunity to relax while I was there. I had all of my supplies set out and then promptly drove away without them. 

Her home is in a small tourist village on one of the San Juan islands of Washington. They have a little art supply store there and I was able to pick up a few things to allow me to do at least a little something. Without my works in progress I was forced to start a new painting. I wasn't sure what to do until we were looking through an old photo album. I almost never paint from someone else's photograph, but this one was done in lighting that I think I can make work. The colors aren't rich and vivid because the photo is faded. But I'm actually excited about the challenge. 

My dear husband had forgotten about this vacation and the photo brought back treasured memories. I'm so grateful to have the photos I do to help me remember what I would otherwise forget. 

Buoys and Gulls... I Mean Rigging...

More detail work today. It is so fun to look at all the different, intricate details and see what I missed last time. There is always something else that I didn't notice. One of the greatest gratitudes I have for painting is how it has helped me see the world more vividly. Not only do I see colors that I'd never seen before, but I see details, relationships, and nuances that make the world a much more engaging and enlivened place. 

Boardwalk

As a kid I never really understood the game of Monopoly. I could play it, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it. I do, however, remember that everyone wanted to buy "Boardwalk". It somehow meant you could better win the game. It was years before I knew where the famous Boardwalk was, and only in recent years that I understood how it applied to coastal living. 

This isn't even really a boardwalk, but rather a pier. However, it sent my mind back to those days, long ago, when we would pull out the game board, divvy up the money, and see who could out-buy everyone else. Just a little walk down memory (Boardwalk) lane.

Misty Silhouettes

There are different ways to create the illusion of depth in a painting. One of the techniques in an artist's arsenal is called "atmospheric perspective". If you've ever noticed the mountains in the distance, you may have realized that each range of mountains is a different shade of bluish purple. The earth's atmosphere actually has color. The farther something is in the distance, the more atmospheric color there is between us and the object. That coloring affects the details we can see, and the coloring. So, as an artist, I put more blue into the color of things that are farther away. Additionally, I add fewer details. 

When we add mist to the mix, that technique is doubled. Now, however, the atmosphere isn't necessarily more blue, but rather more grey. On a bright sunny day the figures would have color, light, shadows, and details. But on this misty day, they are simply silhouettes in the distance.

Working Double

Sometimes the paint is just too wet to do any more work, and yet I want to be painting. So, while I was waiting for paint to dry on one canvas I started another painting. This one is also inspired by my location on the coast and is for the art show in August. However, this painting is inland. It never occurred to me, when I moved to the coast, that I would find estuaries and lakes near the ocean. They are also affected by the tides, but have their own ecosystems. There is simply more to learn about this planet than I will ever learn. 

Mast and Boom

I love the quote "When you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails" (H. Jackson Brown Jr.). But in order to adjust your sails you have to have a mast, and in this cast a boom. Without our skeletons, our muscles and skin would be lumps on the floor. It is the push and pull of the muscles against and around our bones that give us shape and movement. And our skin acts as the protective covering over it all. Our boat also has an unseen skeleton that braces all of the boards that make up the hull of the boat. Additionally, however, the mast and boom are skeletons that hold the sails. With that spine firmly in place the sails control the wind and allow the master sailor to guide her home, even in the worst of storms. 

I'm working on strengthening my own physical spine and nervous system so that I don't experience as much pain in my body. Additionally, I can work to strengthen my mental, emotional, and spiritual spines so that when the storms of life assail, I will have the strength to simply adjust my sails and return home.

Balusters by the Dozen

I was able to do a little woodworking today. It wasn't too many years ago that my dad got a lathe. We made plans for me to go help him and together we'd make balusters for the banister in my house. We never quite found the time to do it, and now the house has been sold, I've moved, and my dad's health doesn't allow for those kinds of activities anymore. I wish I could have made that memory with him. I am grateful, however, for the memories I do have. Without him I definitely wouldn't be who or where I am today. 

Digging the Rigging

One of the obvious challenges of this piece is going to be the rigging. I got a decent start on it today. I dare say I will be able to paint rope by the time I finish this painting. And in painting all of these details, I have the opportunity to seriously study what is there and ponder the complexity of it all. My admiration for sailors increases with every painting session.

Course Corrections

One of the benefits of posting my progress is that I get to see it from a different perspective. After my last post I realized how off some of my lines were. This image may not seem much different from the last one, but it represents a significant amount of time reworking several areas and correcting several mistakes. I'd like to think I'm beyond such basic errors, but I'm not. The eye can truly deceive, especially when it comes to lines and linear perspective. And my eyes did deceive me. It makes me wonder how often my eyes deceive me in the ordinary acts of life on an ordinary day. How many decisions do I make because I saw something wrong? How much time do I waste because I don't see what I'm looking for when it's right in front me? And how many times have relationships struggled because I saw things based on my preconceived notions rather than on the reality in front of me. Oh, to have eyes to see... 

The good news is, that we can correct our course. Every day we get a chance to rise again and start fresh, with new eyes, as we take on another day of accomplishing tasks, fulfilling responsibilities, growing relationships, and making memories. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have for course corrections in my life.

Ropin' and Ridin'

I grew up on a farm in the dry arid desert of west central Utah. Ropin' and ridin' is what we did every spring when we moved the cattle from the winter feed lots to the summer grazing range. I never tired of being in the saddle with all the ups and downs and swaying to and fro. It occurred to me the other day that sailors are ocean cowboys. The have to know how to tie a good not, throw it clean, and catch it solid. The swaying to and fro may be from a boat instead of the back of a horse, but keeping one's footing is still the key. One rides a range of endless grass while the other rides the watery range. But grit, courage, hard work and strong ethics still make the man.