Mushroom Spotting

 I went for a very long walk today, over 5 miles to and from the reservoir.

There are some pretty cool mushrooms in the woods, and I enjoyed finding them.

Conversation of the Day

Mark: Do you need anything else?
Me: I have tea and three cats, what more is there?
Mark: More cats.       

Monday Weirdness

I am on Amtrak on the way to Cathy’s right now.

We are stuck in Stamford…. Have been for the last 45 minutes.

I am unplugging and going off the grid this week.

While I am house-sitting for Cathy, I’m taking the time to reset my head, paint, meditate, and de-stress. 

I haven’t had the opportunity to do something like this since before Daya was born, since…well, forever.  I need it.

Literally right before I left I got an instagram notification that Little Island featured my painting on their Instagram account.  So my Insta started blowing up, in a good way.

And then….

Facebook and Instagram (and Whatsapp) went down.

I admit I got a bit scared, because I didn’t check the news.  Even though I am so careful about my online activity and not getting hacked, when my Instagram stopped working and nothing would fix it, then my Facebook was inaccessible, I got scared.

So I asked Dru and she told me everything is down. Which is also on the news.

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And my train is on hold due to a lengthy police emergency- I overheard someone saying someone tried to make it across the tracks in time but…didn’t… or someone was on the tracks somehow and was killed-that’s unverified information though.

Anyhow the point is it’s a weird day. The day I’m checking out all this stuff is happening.

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I’m just going to keep my calm and breathe, and be still while the world is freaking out in spinny chaos.

It’s weirdly stressful and a strange start to my artist-retreat-cat-house-sitting week!

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UPDATE: just as I was finishing this short post, we left Stamford! It will be slow to New Haven but at least we are moving…. We were there for almost an hour. I still don’t know what happened officially.

End of Season

It is the next-to-last weekend of the kayak season, and I went down to the boathouse to see everyone and help out for a few hours.

It was nice to see everyone- but it definitely feels like the end of the season.  Despite being pretty busy, there was a mellowness kind of vibe, like things were winding down.

Little Island

This morning I delivered my Roosevelt Island Bridge painting to it's owner, and she loved it.  

She got very emotional.

Paintings can do that to people.

Then I went over to Little Island and did this painting.

3 1/2 hours, 8x10 oil

Painting Cleanout

I'm shocked I still have the motivation to keep doing this today, but I do so I'll take it.....

I'm shredding mail that is.... I'm not even going to say how old but it's old.  Bank and financial statements, and the entire reason I still have them is because they need t be shredded and I just never did it.

Shredding a bunch of old mail is really boring.
I'm getting through it.

When my shredder needed a break I also started going through old crappy paintings to get rid of them, too. Mostly it's my old and really terrible early plein air work.

A few of the panels can be re-used but most can't.  I don't like painting over old texture.
So that white semi-gloss wall paint went over the panels, too, and they are in the trash.

I still have more of those to go through, too.

So-- I'm glad to be getting rid of the stacks of horrible paintings that every artist has had at some point in their lives, lurking in dark corners.  

They are so bad.  SO bad.  I was so terrible! But each of them is a little step I took to get me where I am now.  It took me a long time to start getting proficient at the plein air stuff.  I still have a long way to go. But oh man am I glad to be past the beginning phase. Eek.

Still, it's definitely time to get rid of them and get rid of the weight of my awkward artistic past.

I'll keep a few of them but I'm being extremely selective about it.

Tues Drawing

Here's a drawing from the 40 minute pose.

Graphite.

Partial Paint

I partially painted my room.
It needs to be done in sections; it is a huge job.

The walls in my room have never been painted since before I moved in.

It's that standard flat white paint.

15 years old.

It looks so dingy.

The landlord offered to paint my apartment several years ago but I declined because it's such a huge job and i would have to move everything all at once.

Plus, I don't want that awful flat white paint.

I put on white semigloss.

There were still scribbles on the wall from when Daya was a toddler.

They were done in water-washable Crayola markers and absolutely nothing would get it out of the wall, not even several Mr Clean Magic erasers.

I was a little sad to paint over it but it had to be done.

I also partially painted the ceiling.
(I used flat ceiling paint for that.)

This will brighten up the room considerably and also cover up the damage I did when I went nuts last summer and put acoustic foam on the ceiling to try to block out the neighbors.
(It did not work, do not do it.)

Goodbye, Couch

The only constant is change....

I have been clearing stuff out.

I have too much Stuff and a lot of it is just accumulation from having lived in this apartment for 15 years.

Today I said goodbye to my old and very cat-damaged couch.

The cats do like the couch but..... I think it is time.

Couch minus pillows

I have had this couch since.... 2007?? Something like that.

Sigynn messed it up and the next three cats just continued where she left off.

Daya and I spent a lot of time on this couch.

It was a good couch but these days since Daya is never in my room anymore, it's unoccupied (except for cats).

I removed all paintings from 2 of my walls, and I'm going to paint my room.

It has not been painted since before I moved in.
I have to do it little by little, in sections.

I need a refresh and a change.... it is time.

This is a time of change, as bittersweet as that is.

Most of the paintings that were hanging will not be going back up.  

Many are quite old and do not represent where I am today.
A few will stay.

I'm going to start being better about framing my work.... which stinks because even going low-end it gets expensive.

I'm tired of a mindset of living off scraps.

I want to present my work in my own space in a more professional way.  

Its for me, not anyone else.  

It represents how I feel about my work and where I want to go with it.  

I'm not going to just stick it to the wall anymore.

I love having my walls covered with my work but I also want to elevate my own thinking about it, and my home in general. I want things to be nicer than they have been.

Life is changing and I want the next phase of my life to be ready for new, good energy.
For that, I have to clear old stuff out.

It is an ongoing process but I am proud of my progress so far.

The Smallpox Hospital

I was so tired from yesterday and I had stuff to do this morning.... but it was so nicec out I could not resist the urge to go painting again!

So I went to the old ruined Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island.

This is 8x10 oil and it took 3 hours.

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Many people from all backgrounds and walks of life stopped by to say hello.
I think it is the end of an Orthodox Jewish holiday, and must have been a day they can't do anything because all the Hasids were out.

And they loved my painting!
Even the men spoke to me, and that's really saying something.

I normally do not allow people to take close-ups, but I did for one of the old Bubbes, she was so awesome and so nice and so excited and she wanted to take a picture so she could show everyone at home how good it was.

They do not have a culture that has much art or exposure to art in it, but they were so responsive to it.
It was amazing. Art is so universal and it is wonderful to experience this in such a unique way.

Olana Plein Air Festival!!!

Today wasthe plein air festival at Olana!

It was a long but great day!!

My friend Catherine was there, and Grace was there and Janet was there!

I did 2 paintings and I'm happy with both of them.

They are 8x10 oil.

The first took an hour and a half nd the second one took 2 hours.

Janet and i took a picture to send to Leah.

And then Janet asked if I could spray her butt with bug spray.
This is something I will always do for a friend.

She then returned the favor.

Fuck off, bugs!!

Me & Grace

Me & Catherine

The Post I Forgot to Post

I went to the office on Monday.
Again.

Good views.

But the office is weird.

It is very high-end and slick with amenities and space, but it is also completely impersonal.

It sends a mixed message of "Stay and be comfortable" but at the same time it wants you to leave with no trace you ever existed.

The kitchen areas are really sleek.  High-end.
Huge cabinet refrigerators that are.... completely empty.
Well, except for one lone sandwich in the middle of one of them.

There is no hot water.

There is no milk in any fridge.

So-- while it is such a nice space, it lacks humanity. 

There are no personal human touches allowed at all.

And although there are lockers, they aren't ready for use yet and I don't like having to carry my laptop around.

I'll think about going in again when the lockers are accessible.
Right now I'm staying home though.

Furball on Wednesday

Here is a picture of Furball being cute and adorable.

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I'm taking this Friday off work.
My plan is to go paint the lighthouse on Roosevelt Island.  I even had a dream about it.

Sometimes I wish I had a car and could just get in it and go to so many cool places around the Hudson Valley to paint.  But Roosevelt Island is pretty great and very close so it's ok.

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I'm really burned-out and mentally fatigued.
It's nothing new but it's pretty bad right now.
I need a break, I need to unplug and go away.
And the good news is- I am!

I will be house-sitting for Cathy for a few days in October and I'm prepping for it.
Daya will stay here, but she'll be at dance and school the whole time. I have a friend right in the neighborhood she can call and go to. The super is right down the hall and my next door neighbor is around.  Daya couldn't care less about staying. She has people around and she can go to the store if she needs anything. She'll probably appreciate the break from me.

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I'm going to take the time away to have my own little meditation/artist retreat.
The nice thing is I will basically be alone in the woods.
I plan on painting and meditating and resetting and being silent and alone.
Really clear my head out.

I'm going off social media too but I'll still post here.

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I haven't been able to do something like this since before Daya was born.
It's been a long road and I have more to go, but I'm glad to take this pause and just ... be. And paint.

Tuesday Drawing

Drawing is tonight, Tuesday, which is messing me up because I think today is Wednesday and it sn't.
I'm sure this will screw me up tomorrow too.

The session was very fun, my drawings weren't great, I'm not very focused.

Here's a slow drawing from the long pose.

So- the model was wonderful and beautiful but she smiled- big open mouth smile with teeth- through ALL the poses and I really with she hadn't. Not only because it is more difficult to draw, but it made otherwise amazing poses look garish. It kind of killed the mood for me. It just didn't fit.

Roosevelt Island Bridge- Finished!

I finished my commissioned painting today and I'm really happy with it.
My client is also very happy.
9x12 oil
Total painting time around was 6 hours. (standing in the full sun the whole time!)

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You know what's REALLY cool?
When I am out painting, halfway done, and someone passes by and asks how much.... and I tell them the price and say this painting is a custom commission and is already sold!

That feels SO good!!!

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The photos outside were so blue! I think it's because there were no clouds today and the time of day/location spot.  Usually this doesn't happen in such an extreme way.

There is plein air pressure when it is a commission, because there is no luxury of the studio.
When I work with clients I really truly want them to be happy, this is their painting and I respect they are paying me to do this.

I am very relieved my client is so happy!

Plein Air Commission Part 1

I got a commission t do a plein air painting from a custom location with a few specifications.

When I was on Roosevelt Island over the summer, a lady came up and asked for a card- and she actually followed up!

This is a surprise gift for her husband who has worked there for 15 years in the power plant area.
Under those 6 buoys in that water are turbines in the river which are producing renewable electricity.  It's the largest renewable energy project in North America apparently, and no one knows about it!

Link here for more info

Anyhow she wants a 9x12, the bridge and the buoys have to be in it. 
We are still working out how to get the shipping containers in since they are not in my view.

I am 4 hours into this painting and it is a difficult one, complex.
Especially because it is a commission, there's some pressure.
I really want my client to be happy.

So I had to pep-talk myself a lot.
Saying she asked me to do the painting because she already likes my work!
I really hope she likes it tho!

I am a bit nervous.

I painted for 4 hours today and I need another session, so I'll go back tomorrow and finish the foreground and the water.  It was hot and I was in direct sun the whole time.

I'm painting 9x12 on my 8x10 box which means I cannot transport wet paintings as I normally do.
But I found a cardboard painting case someone gave me years ago and it is 9x12 and is working out nicely.

I just don't feel like getting out my large setup.

This is how far I got.
I need a couple more hours.
I already see a bunch of stuff I'm going to fix tomorrow.  

What a Week

 What a week.

At the beginning of the month I re-joined the Y in my neighborhood because I *really* want to swim.
And Daya wants to use the gym. I think I mentioned it before.

Daya has grown up there, actually.  It's the pool she learned to swim in when she was 2, she did camp there and afterschool.  I let my membership lapse due to life being so hectic, and also the pool/locker rooms were, shall we say this nicely? Not clean.

But they have renovated the whole building!! And it's really nice now, MUCH cleaner.
They started several years ago, and Daya has a tile on the wall with a drawing and her name the kids made when it was happening. I think she was in 4th grade.  It's still there.

One of the girls who works at the front counter was one of Daya's camp counselors and remembers her.

Anyhow I have been swimming twice this week.
The pool wasn't crowded at all, today there were 4 people in it including me!

So I swim.

And float.

But I left my goggles down at the boathouse so I need to get them!

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This first week has been crazy.
It's really a change getting back into the routine.

Wednesday morning Daya told me 2 of her classes are digital-preferred.. as IN the classroom.
So teachers are asking students to bring in their devices.
If a student needs a device the school will provide a Chromebook.

Daya has an ipad and I have a big issue with her bringing it to school every day.
It's a risk and liability on personal property that I am unwilling to assume.
I cannot afford to just go out and get another ipad- and hers is pretty nice with accessories.
And---- I don't like her having it out on the trains either. iPads are hot items.

Daya STRONGLY disagrees with me and is VERY angry that I'm saying no to bringing in the ipad ad I want her to get  Chromebook from school instead.

I hate fighting with her, she's so angry over this and I'm tired and sad about it.