Balance

This is the 2nd study from last week. I decided not to finish it and treat it like a real study. If I was going to spend the time to finish it, I wanted it to be time on a larger piece.



This is the larger piece of Hazel, work in progress.



This is a large piece and the face is larger than life size. I have not worked this large in a long time and am re-learning how to work this big. Blending and exact detail do not matter so much when working this large, and I had to almost finish the hair in order to finish the blue wash, so it looks weird with large flat wash, blank hands, and almost finished hair. Next is working up the face, since if I screw that up the painting is not worth finishing.

Off to LA today to take Mom out for her birthday, add stuff to storage, and see some friends and am looking forward to a break from animal duty and painting all day. Tomorrow I will have been at my Dad's 4 weeks and it sure does not feel like it. Everyone should take a 4 week vacation. I received the deposit refund from my apartment and went through the apartment paperwork and threw most of it away. I found the rent amounts they provided if I wanted to renew my lease and to stay there another 2 months to get ready to move to Boise would have cost me $1905 per month! (Renewing my lease for a year would have cost me $1700 a month.) So, I am not only on a free vacation, but I saved $3810.

I sent the signed order confirmation to the mover and now I am committed.

Next enlightenment topic is Grief is a Blessing, with a poem by Jalaluddin Rumi,

I saw grief drinking a cup
of sorrow and called out,
"It tastes sweet, does it not?"
"You've caught me," grief answered,
"and you've ruined my business.
How can I sell sorrow,
when you know it's a blessing.?"

Rumi was a Persian mystical poet and so far I am not liking the middle easterners. When I know that there is some blessing in grief, I disrupt the relationship between grief and sorrow, and can rise above anguish and guilt? Does this help?

I like the next one better and it is most appropriate to me and my adventure, topic is Balance with a piece by Leonardo Da Vinci,

Every now and then go away,
have a little relaxation,
for when you come back
to your work your judgment will be surer;
since to remain constantly at work
will cause you to lose power
of judgement...

Go some distance away
because then the work appears smaller
and more of it
can be taken in at a glance,
and a lack of harmony
or proportion
is more readily seen.

This works when looking at your life or a large painting. My life lacked harmony and proportion, today I am stepping back and having a little relaxation.