Painting Rocks

Yesterday afternoon I started a painting on a rock. One of the doctors at work asked me if I would create one. It's for a charity called the Onestone Foundation and they are auctioning off rocks painted by artists with the theme, "It Starts with One". I'm not the greatest concept artist and I have a hard time thinking of a good conceptual image that will also be fun to paint, so I'm doing a kid blowing on a dandelion with some of the pieces of the dandelion blowing off. The doctor gave me a huge rock that is somewhat triangular shaped, so it stands up on one side.

Now I can't exactly paint a rock with watercolor, so I decided to get out my oil paints. My oil paint and brushes are stored in my french easel and most of them are more than 30 years old. I found a table for the rock and remembered I have a Lazy Susan board that my friend gave me for a clay sculpture class, so I put the rock on the Lazy Susan so I could paint both sides. I was pleased that almost every tube of my oil paint is still good, since usually one of this big idea art project things usually turns out to be an excuse to buy more art supplies.

I did not plan on being indoors, unable to open a window because it was too cold, breathing oil paint and turpentine. I worked on the rock for a few hours until I got a good base layer and a good headache. I have not worked in oils in years and they could not be more different than watercolor. Oils are forgiving, but they can also be slow, too much opportunity to change your mind and too much time waiting for paint to dry. There is also a re-learning curve with any artist medium, hey, I used to know how to do this, why do I feel like I am walking in new shoes?

Saturday morning I woke up to a sprinkling of snow on the ground that was melted off by noon. There were a few hours of sun in the afternoon, so I raked leaves. I filled the one leaf bag I had left from last year and raked two big piles. I put the steamer chairs in the garage. I brought the Virgin in the house for winter a few weeks ago. Mr. Spider lodged himself under the Virgin's praying hands over the summer and I had a time prying him out. I suppose if I was Mr. Spider, that's where I would make my home.

Sunday morning I got up, started another watercolor painting with my extra hour, and then went to the grocery store for leaf bags and latex gloves for oil painting. I dressed for snow, because it looked like it might snow and this is Idaho, and it was snowing by the time I left the store. They were sold out of leaf bags, can you believe it? I did get the gloves, which are so my hands don't get covered with paint that I have to use turpentine to get off, but they did get covered with paint anyways because I am out of practice and put off the gloves until too late. Since they were out of leaf bags, I bought myself an amaryllis, one of those kits that come with the dirt and the pot and the bulb. I did not realize that I needed to check the bulb before I leave the store, it was growing sideways because of how it was placed in the pot. I planted it anyways and the stem has now worked its way up to a 45 degree angle. Maybe it will straighten out before it blooms.

I like to have spices growing in the kitchen window for winter, but this year I could not find any after July, which is weird, last year I bought them after I got here in September. So the reason for the amaryllis is so I could have something growing in the kitchen window.

True to form, my neighbor across the street spent Sunday afternoon trying to suck up frozen leaves with his power leaf sucker. Is that just a leaf blower in reverse? Didn't he do this exact same thing last year? It took him hours, because the thing kept breaking and he kept having to go dump the bag. He could have done it in half of the time with a rake. Since I did not have leaf bags, I put the two piles I made directly into the trash can. Idaho does not care too much about recycling yard waste and I don't have a separate yard waste recycling can. Plenty of room in the regular can, though, I just do not make that much trash. Sunday afternoon I also swept all those flying beetles from the last few weeks that must not like a little bit of cold off of my porch and patio.

Sunday morning's snow melted before noon also and it may feel like winter, but it still looks and smells like fall.

I hope I can finish this rock and air out my studio before spring.