Idolatrieartist's Curiosities

Finally...
I am thawing out and returning to you. I have been so bogged down with life that I have just not been able to devote time to this blog. I think that is okay though. It makes me really want to come back and talk about things and share work with you.

This week is sort of a tough one for me. This is the week that my Mother passed away- last year- January 25th. I plan on taking my Dad out to dinner that evening. I kind of want to be with him.
He has been doing somewhat okay- although it has not been easy. I know he must be sad and lonely at times. He is now in the house alone. Well, he does has his cat named William who he eats dinner with each night. Still... it is not at all easy.

Here is a photo from around Xmas.

I get the silly faces I make honestly! It must be genetics!

As for other things which are ~NOT SO HEAVY-HEARTED~ I have been working on a painting which I finished late last week. It is for a gallery show for MARY LOU ZEEK GALLERY- "WHAT'S INSIDE" show. (Click the link to read more).

I took the time to photograph my processes of creating my piece for you. It is a lovely- and yet- Oh So awkward oil painting.

It started with the box that they sent me to Alter:

I took it and sanded it and gessoed it:

Added the little fancy corners to it and sanded the layers of gesso
.
And wiped it clean of dust. I then applied my image to the surface

And began to paint the under painting with thinned down oil paint.

It looks like a watercolor painting at this point.

After several layers of building up the color it was almost finished...

After it was finished I sealed it -adding a tint of amber color to give it an aged look:

And here is the final image.

Awkward?
Yes...
I see the issues but- at the same time- I love it completely. It reminds me of one of those portrait paintings from the late 1700's to 1880's which are painted somewhat out of perspective and yet feel so charming for what they are.

I say- if you really want to try something and you are afraid of it- Give into the fear of making something perfect and just make something.

Until you try- you shall never know. I still find painting in oils to be really difficult and yet I love doing the tango with paint and brushes. I don't care if I have two left feet. At least I am moving!

Okay- I better get hopping! I have office work to do.

XoxoxoX