Goodbye October

We are on the tail end of hurricane Melissa here, and the weather today, the wind- is awful.

I was going to go to the boathouse later but I think I'll just stay home, this wind is too much.

Now that kayak season is over, I'm feeling a little lost.

It's a big part of how I spend my time, how I have been (kind-of) maintaining my mental balance, and of course there is the social aspect.

There is also no light to go paint after work anymore.

Today is a dark cold heavy day, and the time change also happens this weekend.

There is no heat or hot water today and Monday in my building due to what seems to be never-ending boiler maintenance that never really seems to get fixed long-term.

I have to get through the next 2 months, get through the holidays.

Daya is going to South Africa again for most of winter break so she won't be here.

What an awful year this has been, truly, and there are 2 more months to go.

Literally every single long-term life trauma I have had in my whole life has been thrown in my face HARD over the last calendar year, and I'm tired of everything. It's too much. 

It's just really too much, all of it. And just when I think life might have actually turned a good corner...it didn't and that's hard too. I'm too exhausted from the cumulative-everything and my nervous system is a wreck. And I can't go paddle laps for hours to calm down.

48 & The Shush Lady Again

Today I am 48.

It's mostly just another quiet Wednesday, except I did take the day off to go paint.

I also thought about going on the water but the weather is just not nice, we are getting a storm tomorrow.

So I went over to Hoboken on the Path train and then to the Shush Lady. (Water's Soul sculpture in NJ)

I have been meaning to repaint her after last year's painting, which took way too long and was way over-thought.  I made the mistake of bringing a studio mindset to plein air... well, not today!

8x10 oil, about an hour and a half which was the time I wanted to spend on her to not get too uptight.

Today was a challenge even with overcast skies.

The Shush Lady is difficult to paint with the changing light... 

She really is all about VALUES.

When I started, she was lighter than the sky:

And by the time I was done, she was darker than the sky.

It's basically impossible.

Dru sent me the best card ever- it's Pebbles in my amazing orange Disco!

And a great book on Medieval cats!

painting by Drusilla Kehl

Inflatable Seahorse & Rainbows on the Water

The boathouse is participating in the big Halloween parade in the Village this year.

I'm not going; that's a bit too chaotic for me.

After seeing Reign dressed as a mini-Sharknado on Saturday, I asked Bitz what her parade costume was.

She would not tell me.

Refused.

Said it was AMAZING.

Torture!

Last night she texted me to say the costume arrived and she would be trying it on at the boathouse.

Obviously I had to go after work, so I booked a desk in the office then went right to the boathouse.

The costume is AMAZING.

It is a huge inflatable seahorse!

The seahorse inflates pretty slowly, so Martin got out the shop vac and put it in reverse.

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I went out on the water for about 2 hours.

It got cold.... I need to up my waterproof game.

Or maybe I need a dry suit.

Or I could have gone in a deck boat but I was too lazy to get the boat down and wash it after etc etc etc.

The sky was amazing tonight, there were 2 rainbows!

Cemetery Plein Air & Good Boathouse Food

My focus was not so great today but I needed to get out and paint.

I went to the local cemetery and did this quick-ish painting, which I struggled with.

Also the light kept changing.

I need more practice!

8x10 oil

Here are some other cool pictures:

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After painting i went down to the boathouse.

There were events there all day, and I went for dinner.

It was a nice time, very good to see everyone.

Reigny is a shark!

The Met with June

June is in town from the pacific northwest!

She has purchased three of my paintings.

We met once, I think earlier this year or maybe last year and we instantly got along great in person.

Today she came to the city just to see me.

I took the day off work and we went to the Met.

Here are a couple of notable paintings I liked.

My Memling is still not on display and I am very salty about it.

Actually, I don't like this painting except for the Craptastic Cat.

Landscapes in the American Wing.

My friend Janette did a beautiful master copy of this one: