Painting #2

Micah, my grandson, age 6, Rooster

Lately, it's been a whirlwind of travel for me; since returning from my father's house, I've been slipping in visits with old friends, attended a meeting where I spoke, I've made some art of my own and given art lessons to my grandsons.
Whew! I thought I'd be lazing around without a job or housing, but things seem to be going at a pretty good clip.

Micah, age 6, Camels

 Here are two pictures that my grandson, Micah,  painted this week.


And yes, I did paint a bit as well, but there is always a tension, less time, if one is trying to teach and make one's own art as well.


I have completed two steps on my second painting of Morocco. (I am dreaming of studio space somewhere on the planet!)


First, I lightly drew out what I will be painting. For me, the creativity really picks up when the paint starts to flow. It sometimes has a mind of its own, the paint that is, and it has to be corralled back from some wild escape or has to be wooed into a spot in which it needs to go. This all sounds a bit crazy to a non-painter, but this really is the life of a painter and his or her paint. It's when the fun really gets going!

After I sketched out the window, which is in my former apartment in Morocco, then I masked, with masking tape, a few areas to achieve the sharp lines of the window. I really like how the window within the window within the window seems a bit mysterious, just like some aspects of my life in Morocco.

I am pumping the color of the wall, and I have sponged it on so it comes across as a wall. I'll try to lay in the complementary blues tomorrow in the smaller windows. I hope to achieve the window within the  window, but those pesky watercolors may want to do something else. Stay tuned as Morocco #2 comes to life!