Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which A Beautiful Day Was Also Busy!

Full disclosure, I finished today's painting yesterday and the sketch on Monday. I didn't work on anything else because I knew I'd be busy today! It was a crummy day yesterday, gray and cool and not at all inviting to head out, but today has been gorgeous. I spent most of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine and 65℉/18,3℃ breezes.

First I took a leisurely stroll down to the shops where I buy snacks and bought my guy some cheddar popcorn (if you're paying more than a dollar, you're paying too much, the weird religious Brim's popcorn is just as good as Smartfood) and candy and some Cokes. How is Coke still in business? They'll lose the public because it's about a dollar more expensive in a six-pack than Pepsi! Then I popped next door to buy myself a lime Jarritos and some Lindor truffles - two milk chocolate, two dark chocolate. You can tell that the Food Service here in town serves the Asian restaurants (two Thai places, a sushi joint, two Chinese restaurants! In a town with less than 10k people!) because they sell black vinegar, sambal, Chinese cooking wine, rose water, and more, wholesale!

After my snack run, I toddled back to my place, waving to the nice City Workers who were clearing up the brush piles by the side of the road, and got the cat ready for her walk. It took very little effort to slip her into her harness and get her out into the sun. It took more effort for her to leave the neighbor whose dog looks just like my childhood dog, Sam, alone. What a silly cat!

It's a good thing we headed back inside an hour later, because the hawk, who has had extremely poor timing lately, finally caught something! It was a starling, I'm pretty sure, but it was... brutal. The cat was enthralled.

So were the crows, so the hawk vamoosed with its prize.

After that I made myself a bowl of chicken broth with a bunch of dumplings (beef & chicken bulgogi, in fact!) and settled in to correct the edges on the painting so I could present it to you!

"Cactus Practus"; pencil & pen on sketch paper; 2022

"Dream Prickles" watercolor on watercolor paper; 2022

I'm still not 100% satisfied with the overall violet effect in the background, but I learned a lot about how to blend out colors while working on the cactus itself! I'm so happy with those transitions, too. I'm learning a lot, recently!

I think my next painting will be another abstract. We'll see!

As for me, it has gotten late. The day fled before me like scream-laughing toddlers before a mock-roaring uncle at a family reunion, and now I am sleepy and cozy and quite satisfied with my work, both predrawing and painting!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC