My lavender spike oil arrived today, as did the rest of my paints, and I’m in full-on obsession mode. I’ve absolutely gotten into a frenzy about my upcoming show in the Chrysalis and, until further notice, plan to go there twice a day and paint a lot!
I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing with oils, but it’s an exciting adventure.
I’ve been dying to do this for a while now. I’ve been wanting to get back to oil paint because nothing is as luscious. The paints I ordered still haven’t arrived. I think they get here tomorrow. But the panels are here and I had some old oil paints somewhere. Today I found them and went into the Chrysalis and used them. It felt so very good.
Of course, I had two lovely helpers. I didn’t want them there while painting in oil because I didn’t want them to get that greasy stuff of their paws. But later, when I was prepping panels for tomorrow, they sat on their bed being adorable.
The baby for my Mardi Gras Surprise Boxes arrived today. So did a whole bunch of Mardi Gras masks, and I wasted no time in painting on them and making them look festive. I am so excited about how these boxes are coming along!
Also, there have been more sales of Dogs with Bagels, and I’m back to revisiting the story, which I’m really enjoying. I’m excited that after all this time people still buy this book and still like it.
Can a socially distant Mardi Gras still be fun? I think we need to try to do make it really amazing! So I decided to make ten very special Mardi Gras/Valentine’s Day Surprise Boxes! These will each contain a copy of The Glory Days of Aimée Bonnard as well as at least two pieces of original art, and a few surprises! I’ll even sneak a Mardi Gras baby into one of the boxes.
I only have four spots left, so please let me know if you’d like one!
Other good things: There’s a fun new review for Storms of Malhado. Check it out below.
And I can’t stop making Bernie memes.
I don’t usually care for memes, but the Bernie Sanders at the Inauguration ones are pretty funny. I even had to make my own.
Other than that, it was a rainy day and I felt a bit lethargic and lost. I made a series of six small abstract paintings, kind of like a prayer for spring. I did see a Japanese magnolia this morning that seemed ready to bloom, but I’m not sure that means anything.
I also experienced an unexpected moment of synchronicity: I was thinking of Liliana in Dogs with Bagels this morning, revisiting some feelings from the past – that whole being misunderstood and not quite belonging thing – and later when I checked my Amazon stats I realized someone bought a copy of the book. I like when that happens. Also, all these years later, I still like Liliana. She’s a hot mess, but she’s pretty cool and she learns to stand up for herself.
In which Holly and I watch the inauguration. There might have been some tears!
Something was different about today. Maybe it was the nice weather. Maybe it was getting my boots resoled. Maybe seeing my friend again after a long time – or all of these things together. But today was a really good day. It had a good energy. And John and I created a really cool abstract piece together.
Today I drove down to Galveston to deliver a dog portrait commission and a bunch of books. Also to hang out with my friend. We had an adventure in mind, which involved a visit to the backyard of a beautiful old house. There we found an ancient orange tree – obviously not as old as the house but impressively old considering the average lifespan of orange trees. It grew some really large oranges. The old house wanted us to have some. So we did.
And because old houses are our friends, we made sure to visit with a few more. Betty’s house has found buyers who might restore it to its former glory. Another favorite of ours is now a lovely AirBnb. And for good measure, we were sure to find a Christmas tree in the window of a former brothel. We feel like that should be good luck or something.
The day started with unexpected good news. Also, it was sunny and warm for once. The dog and I enjoyed a longer walk than usual, and in one of our neighbor’s flower beds we saw bluebonnets! They’re early this year! Dare I hope winter will be cut short? Because winter mixed with the pandemic is a little too much to bear.
I didn’t hear the owl tonight, though I tried. But I guess that’s what’s magical about it – it’s unpredictable.
Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, and maybe my mood will will improve? Today it plummeted halfway throughout the day as this time of year always seems so aimless and weird.
I did something worthwhile though, maybe. I ordered a whole bunch of oil paints because there’s no other medium as luscious. I want my show in the Chrysalis to include several oil paintings.
It’s been a week since the rat poison incident, and I’m grateful that my adventurous little dog is fine. I do, after all the research I’ve conducted on the possible effects of the poison, have a newfound empathy for rats. Though, frankly, I’ve always liked these sparkly eyed creatures and never understood why humans are so cruel to them.
Also, it’s cold. I’ve still been walking around a lot. I saw some beautiful blooming citrus, and at night I heard the owl again.
