Cheating (ever so slightly…)

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Tonight I am forced to cheat a little on my painting a day challenge.

1. I did do a painting (technically a mixed media) but it is currently covered in rocks waiting to dry. I will show it to you soon.

2. I started another painting, but the project above prevented me from getting more done on it due to lack of work space.

3. So I am showing you a piece that I almost finished last night in class; but it needed just a few more touches, which I did this evening, so I am going to count it.

11 - eri

Eri

4. Tomorrow I am headed over to the west side of town for the Hillsboro Plein Air Plus. This will be my first plein air competition. I am hoping to submit one painting for judging (heaven only knows how many I will start…) Saturday night there is a reception at the Walters Cultural Art Center. I hope some of you consider coming! I’ll try to post details soon.

5. However, I hope a lot of my friends are out doing the inaugural Highway 101 Yarn Crawl. That’s where I would be if I wasn’t doing that. My friend JJ helped organize it and it looks awesome.

7. Because JJ is organizing the crawl, I am puppy sitting this weekend. Meet Wilson (aka Willie).

wilsonWe are having a very good time so far, but I’m not sure the cats are too excited; however, they are bigger than him, so I’m not too worried. In fact, the oddest thing about Willie is that he is so small. He seems tiny to me. I don’t think of Finn (or the cats) as big, but compared to Willie, they are HUGE.

Thus ends today’s story. Hopefully I’ll have a better one tomorrow.

Traverse… super quick

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Tonight I went out to a painting class at Angie Grainger‘s. She had just come back from a Robert Burridge seminar and had us do a warm up: we mixed two colors (one light, one dark), she chose a word from the dictionary, we painted in three minutes.

The word: Traverse.

I kind of like it.

10 - TraverseI did a lot of other work which I’ll detail tomorrow.

In the meantime, I’m counting this as today’s painting.

Red & a Rant

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Today on my “Walk the dog everyday” challenge, the bonus was to be inspired by something red. I was a little short on inspiration, so I went looking through my reference photos and came across a horse in a red halter that inspired my little painter’s heart. [image removed]

I like this well enough I’m thinking about doing a bigger version where I could do some more detail.

And a rant

Be aware, I am changing topics.

I haven’t said much about my dad for a while, because I wasn’t sure there was much to say. To recap, he moved into an assisted living facility in mid July, and it quickly became apparent that he needed more than they could provide. About the time that was becoming obvious, Dad developed a UTI and possibly had another stroke. In the course of this, some more evaluations were done and moving him became a necessity, not just a suggestion.

Last week my mom came up here for a few days to scope out some facilities. It was a frustrating process because so few places really want (or accept) cases like Dad’s (somewhere between alzheimer’s unit and nursing home). After some deliberation, Mom decided to put him in the same facility where my grandma lived out the last year of her life.

We thought that a nurse check was a mere formality. And it turned out it wasn’t. The place didn’t like some of the medications Dad was on (turns out we aren’t thrilled to find out he’s on these medications (at this dosage) either) and said he couldn’t move to Mom’s choice of facility.

So, we’re back to square one. Mom is hurriedly looking for the right kind of place in the right area, but it’s a frustrating process. To make that worse, each place wants some new and bizarre kind of write-up or evaluation. And getting these things is like herding cats into a dentist’s office.

I’d really like to call up these places and give them a piece of my mind: My father is dying of the worst possible, slow, and humiliating disease possible, and they want MORE FREAKING EVALS? Like what… Mom and I are hallucinating this? Let me just assure you, there is NOTHING FIXABLE GOING ON!!!!!

Logically, I do understand. Each place wants to make sure they know what’s going on and what they are signing up for. They don’t want to get in over their head or put anyone in danger.

But I’m more upset seeing my mom tired and discouraged. I worry every day that when my mom calls to report how Dad is doing, it’s going to be more than just falling and bruising she tells me about. I’m concerned that Mom is going to get sick from the stress of the situation. And I just don’t know how to help except to listen and pray.

I know that moving Dad won’t really solve this problem, but I’m still hoping that it might prevent more problems from developing.

Kevin MacPherson Demo

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Today I went to a demo out at Cathedral Park by a painter named Kevin MacPherson.

 

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It was a very educational day and I learned a lot. Kevin was a good instructor… particularly for free! I didn’t realize how famous he was until I overheard several different people talking about how he was “their god.” I’ve put a couple of his books on hold from the library.

Personally, I didn’t have the best painting results, but you can’t have everything…

In case you’re wondering, I’m only counting the first one towards my “Painting a Day Challenge.” You may see more of the rest…

But frankly, I’m too tired tonight to do anything else.

Summer mascot

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Today before settling down to paint we took a long hike in Canemah. On a whim we “stopped by” the area where I have seen my great horned owl several times. I didn’t hear anyone scolding and no one was flying, so I figured it was a lost cause.

Then I looked up.

owlI’m thrilled with this photo.

I bet you’ll never guess what my painting of the day was…

05 - gh owl