Thanksgiving

I went to the studio today. first time after the holiday. It felt good to sit and play with some water colors, drink my good studio coffee and get away from the family. Don't get me wrong, I love to be with my family, but I also love to go to a quiet place and work. Last night I finally got around to preparing some panels. They already had linen glued on, so I gave them a good coat of oil/lead primer. Now while I wait for those to dry- I have one ready with linen and glue alone. I think that I will give it a good coat of shellac and start it on Monday.

The turkey was good this year. The gravy might have been the best that I have ever made, and I have been making thanksgiving dinner since I was 14 years old. This year we had 17 around the table.

I always give my best for the Thanksgiving meal. I do not skimp on anything, and there are nods to all my long dead relatives in the foods that I choose. The chocolate covered peanuts in a dish by the door, a nod to my mother's mother. She gets a second nod with the "green stuff" a jello creation that she always made. I like to think that if she had made it through the 1970's, she would have given it up for something else- but she died in 1973, so much as I laugh at jello, grandma's green stuff is on the table, (though I did change the recipe, replacing the horrible coolwhip with real whipped cream that I whip myself). My other grandma, Dad's Mom, used to bring an oyster casserole of some kind. It was covered with browned cracker crumbs. I do not feel bad that I do not make that- no one ate it when she was alive. Her oyster casserole dish is always on the table, with the stuffing in it. We also use her silver, her linens and her glass candle sticks.

Uncle Jan used to come to my house every year. One year I spent a few days creating the most amazing cranberry sauce, only to have my very smart and food savvy uncle complain through the whole meal because there were no can lines. Apparently the can lines were a nod to his grandma, my great grandmother. Even though Uncle Jan died suddenly a few years ago- canned cranberry sauce will always be a part of my thanksgiving. Only now they are a nod to him, (all dressed up looking silly in their parsley garnish on a china plate).

The bird is stuffed and roasted in the old Nesco Roaster. The wine is always Red.

Excuse my little diversion from the subject of painting... I just love Thanksgiving. Now looking forward to getting back to work.:-)

And on the seventh day we get to rest...

Sunday after noon in the fall. Rick is out raking up the last of the leaves, I have a delicious pot roast cooking on top of the stove. I have evolved to adding a bottle of red wine to my old pot roast recipe, so it really smells good here today.

I am about to hit the garage and prime up some panels with the Studio Products Lead primer. It really is my favorite surface to paint on - a nice panel with linen fixed with rabbit-skin glue and then the lead primer. I love the way that the brush glides on that surface. It is not the only surface that I use. Sometimes I use gesso, not acrylic gesso, but rabbit-skin glue and marble dust gesso. And sometimes I paint on linen that has been fixed with rabbit-skin glue and then shellac , which leaves the warm fabric color showing through. The rabbits always suffer (actually it is a byproduct from other industries, so please do not think that the rabbits are dying for art).

Not sure if I ever mentioned that I am listed on Saatchi. You can see that here. Take a look, it was fun to do. I love looking around at Saatchi at all the artists around the world who show there. There are so many artists every where that you look - Isnt't that wonderful!

Lemon Yellow Day

I love
my
Munsell book!

Today was a color study day for me, this is what I was working on. Pretty self explanatory, so I wont expand.

It looks so easy, painting a lemon, but do notice that I am not showing the painting that I made. :-)

New England Adventure

Am back from Boston- got back Tuesday. Wow, what a long drive- 17 hours just a little too long to make in one day alone.

The show was nice, New England was gorgeous and the Barn was quaint. Only sold 3 pieces, but my work was very well received- I was honored to be invited. It was slow for all of the artists there this year. I suspect that it is the housing market and the price of gasoline. Not to mention that in that part of the country, most homes are heated with fuel oil, which is more expensive than it has ever been.

I stayed with friends while I was there, which was great. Really getting some time to sit down and talk- and hug in the real world. :-)

I even met someone on the way home, and he gave me a little something to remind me of the trip- a souvenir . I am adding his picture too.