The garden roof

One of those days where I had the liberty to be on my own painting for quite a few hours and made many discoveries, had many thoughts and generally allowed my mind to wander as it will. Can I remember anything? Not a chance... maybe I relaxed a little more than I realised. Finally shaken the cold I have been nursing all week and grateful to be liberated from the tissue box and the painkillers; you begin to forget what normality feels like, making it all the sweeter on its return. As I have also quit my month-long smoking habit, the recovery from clogged-lung hell is particularly welcome; hoping my resolve sticks and we don't get any more setbacks to send my relapsing. I find it way too easy to slip into things and know only too well how hard it can be to climb back out again.. not something I wish to repeat on a regular basis.

Working on a big canvas these last three days and to be honest, quite amazed at how long painting takes when I am doing nothing else; I am used to squeezing in a few hours here and there and so usually have no idea how long the process takes. Quite interesting seeing the whole thing in sequence and I think it is speeding the process and smoothing out the edges a little. I often take a wee while to ease my way back into a painting and find my way back to the thought processes and decision-making that are left behind at the close of each session; this way it is far easier to see a 'path' and follow it. Makes no difference to my habit of starting with one thing in mind and ending up with another, but the coherance of the idea seems to have translated better. I am still correcting the mouth of the first figure; had a major, major drawing crisis yesterday and couldn't get the line right for love nor money. This morning it went quite easily but looking tonight I am still not one hundred percent sure about it; one more tweak tomorrow and I will (hopefully) be at peace with it. Happy happy with the colours I have been using and convinced that this is a result of the process being more 'flowing' and continuous; it just seems easier to keep in mind the ideas I have as I go along without having a week's break in between two areas of paint. As I start my final stretch in the cashdayjob on Tuesday with a cheeky wee four day week I am hopeful that painting in this way may soon be something I get to do on a regular basis. I am absolutely determined to keep the work/life balance, or work/paint balance on an acceptable keel; I have had far too long putting everything else before it and now it is going to be a priority, not an afterthought once everything else is completed.

Final day of my wee week at Ritchie's tomorrow and hope to blast through the end of this painting; saved the second figure till last as I am looking forward to it.