Mothers Day & Raphael

I have basically written Mother's Day off.

The most I can hope for is a Happy Mothers Day text from Daya, which happened, and that's it.

So, it's just a day.

I have been meaning to go see the Raphael show at the Met.

We have spoken about it in egg tempera class, at least the people who went already talked about it.

I have been needing to 1) find a day to do it and 2) brace myself for the inevitable crowd, which I haven't been in the mood for.

Karen went and said it was too big.

Janette went and really liked it, said the drawings were excellent.

I agree with both of them.

The exhibit was "padded" with a lot of Raphael-contemporary or influences.

I get it, but it was still too big.

The drawings were lovely though, that was true- and some of the paintings.

I didn't photograph the whole show- not even close, but here are pics of things I liked.

2 Paintings, Sold

The Riverside Park painting from last month sold pretty much as soon as I painted it, which was nice.

I told the buyer it'll be ready in a month, he was cool with that.

Actually, everyone who buys a fresh painting has been cool with waiting a month.

Sometimes other painters ask me about that, but it has never been an issue.

It's just the nature of oil paint. I tell people one month and they're good with it.

Sometimes (not always) I use a white with a drier.  these are one-layer alla prima paintings without a lot of added oil, and I think a month is just fine for good drying. 

I have never once had any technical issue with this, and I have been doing this long enough and often enough that I would know.

So, give it a month, varnish, and it's ready.

When I reached out to my buyer about the painting being ready, he asked if my Brooklyn Bridge painting was still available, because his wife wants it.

I said sure, I can have it ready for today, he said great and sent me more money.

The timing of this has been nice, it paid for so much paint and also the framing and shipping costs for the 2 fundraiser paintings I donated this year.

It's also a feeling like no other when a stranger loves your work enough to give you money for it.

It's also a nice gauge on my pricing, which I finally increased for the first time ever.

I do think my prices are reasonable and appropriate.

We met up at the Lincoln Center fountain, and 2 paintings went off together to a wonderful home.

Forest Hills Gardens

I felt like painting flowers after work.

The trick was finding some.

They are in the cemetery, but the big one by me closes at 5pm.

Then I thought I could walk over to Forest Hills Gardens, people are nuts about their landscaping there.

Most of the flowers seem to have disappeared but there are a few... I found this nice wall with pretty shrubs.

As I set up, a man parked behind me.

He asked if he was blocking me, and I said no. That was really nice of him to ask!

I told him I'll paint the flowers, aren't they wonderful?

As it turns out, it was his house and his flowers!

I never ask if I can set up at any given location, but I also never trespass and I'm always respectful of the environment. Also, people don't ever mind painters. That nice man did not mind at all.

8x10 oil

Overnight at Green-Wood Cemetery & Plein Air Pond Water Adventures

Well, not quite overnight, but kind-of.

There was a moon fest event at Green-Wood, and Janae asked if I want to go.

Of course! She lives close by, so we planned on me spending the night and both of us painting early in the morning

Apparently it was the first year they had this event, so I knew it would be chaos and it kind of was.

But it was fun anyhow. It was me, Janae, Janae's teenage son, and her boyfriend.

There were walking tours and a few food things, not many.

We got a HUGE bucket of mini donuts, which were the best thing on earth until they weren't anymore.

I have had my donut quota for the entire year now.

We went on a walking tour of glowing fungi, which was .... underwhelming but still fun.

Key takeaway, quoted verbatim:

"Most things don't glow."

They really were amazing donuts.

No one needs a bucket of them, and the 4 of us couldn't finish it.

*********

The next morning we walked back over to Green-Wood to paint.

Janae brought oil pastels and watercolor, but she forgot to bring water.

We settled next to a pretty flowering shrub, not too far from a large pond with a fountain.

We remarked how nice it sounded.

Several times.

I gave Janae some solvent for the oil pastels, since she forgot water.

And it seriously took about 15 minutes for me to realize THERE IS WATER IN THE POND DUHHH...

Oh my god we are so dumb!

I'm a little more mobile than Janae is right now, so like the good art friend I am, I ran and got pond water, which was green-tinged but whatever.

I said don't drink it.

Then I finished this painting, 8x10 oil...

I really needed a quinacridone red and I did not bring one but whatever.

20

Today is my 20 year anniversary at work.

20 years.

It's weird, I can't possibly be that old, and I know it's also a huge blessing.

Actually, it's not uncommon at my company.

There are a lot of us who have been around forever- lots of people there even longer than me.

Honestly, I'd like to stay until retirement, until it is my choice to leave.

That would suit me just fine.

Soiree

The annual Samaritans soiree was tonight.

It was kind of full of.... finance bros.

I don't like loud crowded-with-strangers events, and I felt out of place at the start.

It's my third one though, so I knew what to expect.

But then one of the other volunteers I am very friendly with (I'm friendly with everyone on the hotline) decided I was going to mingle with her and talk to people.  

She is SO GOOD at the soiree, I was so impressed!

And I ended up having a lot more fun than I thought!

One of the awesome benefits to doing this kind of volunteer work is... the other volunteers. 

There are AMAZING people who come through the hotline, and it does a lot to counterbalance the whole "people suck" experience of life. Because not everyone sucks, and I'm around a lot of those people and it is restorative for faith in humanity. And a lot of them are 20-somethings. 

They're so awesome, truly.

I donated a painting, the wildflowers one from last September.

It brought in $300. Ok, not bad.

It's a $400 value so that's ok.

It's good when paintings can help an important cause.

Trash Dress

Immediately after work, I went down to the boathouse to power wash the dock.

It really needs it.

It's been COLD out, and the water outside wasn't on, plus last week I wasn't sure what was happening with jury duty. Now it is still kind of cold, but the water is on.

This is a cold wet job, so I wore my heavy wool underlayers and rain boots, and I made an awesome dress out of a trash bag.  So I was neither cold nor wet.

I highly recommend the garbage dress with flotation accessory.

Washing the north edge of the dock took about 3 hours.
I LOVE power washing, it's meditative.

Before

After

Escape

For the last 2 weeks, since I got my jury summons, I have had a lot of feelings, and I have been trying to get them out of my system before having to go in and plead my I-REALLY-can't-do-this case.

I went into that courthouse SO angry this morning.

I couldn't shake it.

What an awful feeling to be forced to do something like this, to derail your whole life- against your will.

They told us we would be there 9-5 until May 22.

Oh my god, NO.

After waiting for almost 3 hours, it was my turn to express concerns.

The lady wasn't having it.

Didn't care about work problems it will cause, because work will pay for it.

Didn't care about the list of work stuff I would miss.

Didn't care about the hotline, which jury duty absolutely would conflict with.

Didn't care about a 9-hour crisis response overnight shift that would conflict.

Didn't care about 2 after-work appointments I scheduled in March.

Didn't care about my 20 year work anniversary.

Didn't care about scheduled vacation days.

Didn't care about the vet appt I have for Pebbles early May.

Didn't care about after work social plans I made in March.

I had everything laid out in a word doc.

I was annoying.

I acknowledged I was annoying, but this was truly such a huge problem for me.

I said I can't do all the days, I said these are the days I absolutely HAVE to be out early.

She said no more than 2 days off.

I had to choose the day after my 9 hour overnight shift on the hotline- physically impossible (and unreasonable) for me to do both, and my scheduled vacation day May 22.

That's all she would give me.

I said I can't change these appointments, what do I do?

She just shrugged, that's your problem.

All she wanted to know was if I was staying or coming back in October.

I stayed.

I was so mad, I think I had smoke coming off me.

It's not right.

I do MORE THAN 500 HOURS A YEAR in volunteer community service.

360 of those are on the hotline, and I think my service to society is of much greater benefit on the hotline than it is in Grand Jury. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!!!

******

They started calling names to go across the street to the main courtroom.

They did not call everyone's name.

They did not call my name.

Other people asked about that, and they said just wait, they will call more people later.

Then they sent us to lunch at 12:40, said come back at 2.

I sat under a tree and read, and tried to just ground and relax.

There were pigeons. I love pigeons.

These 2 are clearly friends, and I shared some of my lunch with them.

I went back at 1:30.

2pm rolled around, nothing.

3pm rolled around, nothing.

Around 3:45 the court people came back and said they have everyone they need, we're done, we'll get a certificate of service that is good for 6 years.

OH MY GOD I ESCAPED!

I do not know if the lady did something, put my name in a different pile or something, and I know it's her job to not care about peoples' lives, and I know she's heard everything....

I think the Universe had my back.

I'll never know for sure, but as I left I said a very happy thank you to that lady, and she was very friendly and I think??? she winked at me.

I was SO relieved, and walked home from court which took about an hour... I feel like my body is holding all the energy from it, still, and I need a little time to shake it off.

The Statue of Liberty Says Hi

This morning I was going to go paint early, then go to the boathouse for more boat repairs. 

Not fiberglass ones though, we weren't doing that today but there definitely were still lingering fumes.

But I couldn't get myself moving.

Just couldn't.

So I decided to paint after boat repairs.

Kedrin joined me.

We had a good time but it got REALLY cold and we were both miserable at the end.

I'm sick of this cold, I'm ready for warm weather and kayak season!

Here is a quick 1 hour-ish painting of the Statue of Liberty, from Battery Park City Esplanade.

8x10 oil