January 12, 2008

The cat came back

This has been, without a doubt, a very busy week. Enough that I laid myself down for a few hours yesterday just to recuperate. Yes, school started this week. And it takes a lot of thought to make it work. Picking out slides, picking up the class list, gathering materials, Xeroxing outlines and copies of skeletons.

It did work and well. I was pleased. I made them work hard, set them up for the rest of the semester. First I had them draw the skeleton standing on its post, then lying down on the floor (the skeleton, that is!), then copy a drawing by Degas and finally, draw the skeleton in their copied drawing.

Lila went to visit a friend for the morning while I was teaching. She enjoyed her visit, didn’t miss me, was a proper guest. And I was very pleased.

Besides teaching, I’m preparing canvases for new paintings and working on others. One of the pieces I am working on will have twenty-five 20” by 20” panels, put together in five rows across, five down. I’ve done this before, sometimes as nine panels (three across, three down) and also once as twenty-five. The biggest problem at the moment (besides time) is that the company I have been buying the prepared canvases from (the smaller ones, I have the larger ones specially made and I stretch them up) changed the quality and size of the stretcher bars, reducing them, without reducing the cost. I like the frame to be thicker and sturdier than the new ones. But I have no choice; I have to use them. But I have spoken about my discontent to the store and they say a lot of people are complaining. Right now it’s what I have so I’m moving on.

I’m also working, at the same time, on a nine panel piece. It is with the older stretchers so I am grateful to have some of those from before. Meanwhile, my studio is almost impassible! Paintings everywhere! I’ll have to figure out a way to clear some space.

Posted by leya at January 12, 2008 03:14 PM | TrackBack