I'm late on this thing again. I had to run around alot yesterday to get my promotional cards and business cards reprinted and after some errand running painted en 'plein air' to try to figure out some of the problems i'm hitting with my paintings. It helped alot, as it always does, and nothing gives me as much pleasure.
The current state of affairs;
I have about 9 pieces to finish, 2 very large ones i'm done stretching and am going to put the drawing down on today and tomorrow and 7 smaller ones i'm trying to put the final touches on.
The layers are as follows, wash, drawing(wash), first color layer (thin), texture layer 1, texture layer two, then reeling it all in and detailing/finessing is the last one.
I've been looking for jobs once i get back in L.A. Mostly modeling for now which has been unpromising. I'm not the best model, but you know, i work hard, the problem is i'm not conscientious of my body so not all my poses are great. I believe the solution to this is traveling around with a full length mirror and constantly looking at myself. That just might take too much effort away from making art though. I'll reconsider. Perhaps experience will kick in once in awhile. I'll be seeking illustration and teaching jobs as well, but that's on the books for next week.
Here's some food for the eyeballs and meanwhile, it's back to work for me. It's crunch time.
I'll let you in on a little personal detail as well, my aunt is visiting from Brazil, but I turn down plans so often (they go shopping; not my favorite activity) that I now am no longer invited. I'd simply rather work. I do spend some time with them, but it's difficult to distinguish where a reasonable line can be drawn between work and other aspects of life. My waking hours differ a great deal from others around me, i wake at 5, eat, am running by 7/7:30 and am working in the studio by 9/9:30. Lunch is my main meal of the day and ideally go to sleep by 22:00, if i sleep at 21:30 i wake at 4:30, if i go to sleep at 23:00 i wake at 6 (i figure if you're a stalker you already know this, it's not hard to figure out). My mother and aunt are night people. Also when you love you're job you don't exactly look forward to taking time off. To feel guilty or not to feel guilty i can't decide. I do feel as though i make the most of the time i do spend with my family and i'm quite content personally, but i wonder if it's selfish. This pattern actually happens in my social life overall, which i've been making more of an effort to change considering how lonely the world can get when your life becomes your work. I don't know how others do it, the whole balance thing. I keep walking off the damn scale so often i don't even know where it is anymore.
Anyhow, the great thing about my family is that we're all like this, and they seem to understand and don't make me feel bad about being dedicated. What we share when we're together is great, loving and welcoming, as rare as those times may be, i know now i'll always have them there. But the consequences of not spending quality time with the ones you love will speak louder when those shared moments grow so rare you find yourself being a stranger in a strange land. I've been there before and have been trying to rectify it with limited success. In the end, i want to accumulate many happy memories shared amongst those i care about. Consider it a resolution of sorts.
