I’m trying to commit myself to finishing this painting, which has sat unattended for months, within two weeks. It’s being done in a mix of acrylic slurry (“sludge”; the byproduct of manufacturing acrylic paint — sort of a neutral plastic mud), irridescents, and regular acrylic paints.
The starfish are painted with a mix of rubine red, iridescent silver, and micaceous iron oxide acrylics so it’s a sort of “unphotographable” painting… I haven’t decided yet how to progress in terms of colour scheme, and am currently flip-flopping between a bluish duotone and typical bright psychedelia. This painting is currently unspoken for if anyone reading this feels like making me an advance offer.
All rumors of my limitless wealth from the sale of paintings to gazillionaires aside, even though I am stretching my luck covering my basic bills this month, I picked up three wood panels today for a multi-frame painting that I’m planning of some critters playing catch (two critter panels and a ball panel)… although I still have to finish Cold Water Extraction, I figure I’ll do that quickie first.
Because the temperature just dropped and the first snow storm of the year happened today we rushed the balcony plants into the house, making this place even more insanely cluttered than usual. It’s not that it’s dirty or anything — I do the dishes and all that — but there are always so many projects on the go that it’s a literal maze of wonders. I think even if I had an aircraft hanger-sized space to work in I could very quickly fill it up. I hope to have a little more time to work on it this weekend but I’ve started filling in the background on Cold Water Extraction (which really needs a less mundane title I think) and am opting for a bright and garish theme.
I’ll also mention that The Toronto Winter Swim Club is back in action for it’s second season. We went yesterday and it was wonderful, and will be swimming again on Saturday November 24th at 2PM 6:30PM at Cherry Beach. Anyone who’d like to join us is very welcome. It’s enormous fun. To paraphrase the Russian philosopher Porphiri Ivanov, I agree that the main reason that humans live in a constant state of sickness, both mentally and physically, is that we wall ourselves off from that which keeps us healthy. By living in exile in isolated and controlled environments, away from nature in unhealthy little cocoons, we are unable to exist as functional members of the larger ecosystem of which we are intended to be a part, and can not face our role in the universe. Winter swimming is an excellent first step in immersing oneself in the reality of being truly alive.
I think the theme of my latest paintings is “things I’ve been accused of” or something like that… I bought some new canvases today — this is being done in 42″x48″. I also got a 54″x42″ which isn’t committed to anything yet, and a couple smaller ones as well that I’ll do stuff with Nefarious on. I’m not sure yet what colors I’m going to do this painting in… on one hand I want to go bright and psychedelic, but on the other hand I want to stay true to the feeling of the kind of high you’d get from an opiate extraction and stick with mellow, warm tones. In any case, that’s my next large piece. As I write this it’s still for sale.
An allegation that I was abusing prescription opiates was made a while back, and I took a hair test to — successfully — prove that this was not the case. Getting a hair test done is actually really upsetting — perhaps doubly so when you know you’re innocent — because it’s a physical violation as much as just an emotional violation. Anyway, turtles don’t have hair, and I don’t really know what the mechanics of a “shell test” are, so I’m going to assume my testudine friend here bending the rules need not worry too much about his future job prospects.
I’m not sure if I’m going to paint a version of this or not. It’s really just a doodle… Tomorrow I’m going to finish off a painting that my daughter sketched out — a little fellow sitting on the top of a sole tree in an empty plain. It’s quite serene — and lonely — but a wonderfully structured piece of art either way.
