The square series

lightningtilesea_web

Heavy rain on sea swell. Multiple exposures of lightning cracking through foggy stormy sky. Irregular chopped waves.*

I used to stare at the tiny tiles in my shower and see endless pictures – faces, animals, ghosts, landscapes. Our builders have trashed all the little pictures, but not before I saved a lot of them.

I have about 800 of them. I’d like to paint them all as part of ‘the square series’. [The square is very appealing to me at the moment.]

Whenever Eckersley’s has a canvas sale I buy some more square canvases. And that’s why I needed to do some renovating—to accommodate the square canvases. I’m not kidding!

There’s a direct relationship here with previous paintings. I’m still exploring water and related themes. But the square series is more about pulling the image out of the tile, whether it be heavy rain on choppy waves, or a rabbit.

* The image above is the actual tile, manipulated in Photoshop (colour, tone and contrast). It’s the sketch that I’ll use to inspire me as I paint.

 

 

No more pies!

shorten-pie

Previously I’ve written about having my finger[s] in too many pies. I’m now asking myself why that is so, whether it is a good or a bad thing, and what to do about it.

Too many pies: why is it so?

When I was working for the government to earn a living, I was very focused on my job. There was always too much to do then (balancing work and home life). And I tended to jump into opportunities to take on more and more work projects, so the pattern was always there.

Now I’m ‘retired’ I suddenly have the opportunity to do other things; creative things, domestic things, political things.

Anything and everything takes my interest (pretty much). So I’m finding plenty to do, see, contemplate and critique.

Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

If I have a lifelong pattern of taking on ‘too much’, what are the pros and cons? On the one hand, I’m never bored; on the other hand I have occasional FOMO. On the one, I’m learning about so many things that I knew nothing about; on the other, I can’t finish or resolve everything I start. One, I’m in a perpetual state of excitement from all the stimuli; other, potential adrenal exhaustion!

What to do about it?

That’s the question. I need to be very organised and to have some clear long-term goals. Goals that focus time and energy and interests. Goals that recognise and further support relationships between the pies.

Apple-pie order

Perhaps I start by working on apple-pie order. But then, what about the pecan, pork and pumpkin; the blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry, the key lime and kuchen; not to mention the cream and custard?

I wonder what fish-pie order would look like?

 

Image  One way to shorten pie. The best way to shorten pie. Cottolene, white, pure, wholesome. [front] by Boston Public Library, CC-BY-2.0