Kapiti!

We used to have a mischievous and thoroughly endearing parakeet named Kapiti, one of whose habits was to nibble the edges of paper. In order to protect papers I needed in plain sight, I purchased a piece of clear acrylic 'glass' under which to place them.

Kapiti died many years ago and I lost track of that sheet of acrylic … until I did a round of deep decluttering a few weeks ago and rediscovered it! I had a grand time today using it as my palette to mix a color for the negative painting of this work in progress.

Oh my gosh, if Kapiti were alive now he would have an absolute field day in my studio—sitting on the ends of brushes for wild rides, walking across what I was painting, and chasing and pecking at brush bristles, all while narrating his activities in a chipper stream-of-consciousness monologue as I worked!

work in progress
new layer: acrylic on paper

Grasshopper

I am hopping all over the place: from a day-with-Joan piece, to a Lake Champlain piece, to shaving-cream bookmarks, back to Lake Champlain, over to pointillism.

Today, I pick up another Lake Champlain postcard to develop. Nothing happens.

So once again I jump over to what I painted at Joan's house and, happily, get going on a postcard-sized section from that start-plus-subsequent-layers.

Love the place from which I start, love the scritchy place where I stop for now.

work in progress
new layers of India ink and acrylic on paper

Don't Lose Loose

So exciting: even when I get to the finishing stages of my first post-playdate postcard, I don't lose loose!

They Dipped Their Toes in the Narrow Clattering Creek
4x6"; ink, collage, acrylic, oil pastels
abstract
2018

Lettin' Loose, Loosely Speaking

Before our recent art playdate, Joan said, I need to loosen up … a problem I've always had with my art. I can't seem to move forward.

She was singin' my song.

Painting in Joan's company was terrific. I felt honor bound to the shared yearning we'd identified.

Two days out and working solo again, though, I feel attachment and fussiness nipping at my heels.

But, with Joan's and my time together as a beacon, I take a deep breath, cut my page into quadrants, and plunge into the water come what may.

detail, work in progress

Summer, Joy

Painted for twelve minutes, intuitively and suffused with joy, on a sunshiny summer day.

Joan, Simone, Maz, and Lewis infused me as I created, each shooting off little sparks of carefree playful ignition.

started here at 00:00:00

landed here at 00:12:07
9x12"; work in progress