Anatomy of a Painting
starting in the basement ?
I started an experiment here in the studio a couple of weeks ago that has its start in the basement. One of the things we loved about our little condo in Saco is that we have a full, regular basement. However, said basement is where we need to put the exercise equipment, that has become a fundamental part of my life now after a heart attack and other health issues I won’t bore you with. This would be fine if it were heated for winter. So after a year here - I can’t believe it’s been a year already - and me wearing several wool sweaters to exercise in - we got a portion of the basement finished with insulation and walls and more electric outlets and a new circuit for the electric heaters we’ll get when they go on sale this fall.
You’re confused now I know… what has a basement remodel have to do with a painting? Hang with me here for a bit… it centers on the ceiling. The ceiling was just the rafters stuffed with that pink insulation material, which we wanted to cover up for both aesthetic and health reasons. Who wants insulation falling in their mouths when they’re exercising? Not me. We didn’t have enough headroom to do a dropped ceiling and I suggested using canvas and stapling it to the wood beams and covering it up that way!
The contractor looked slightly horrified when I suggested it and came back with a white board that he thought would work. Well that white board was warping like crazy when they tried it and I suggested canvas, again, and they opened their ears this time. Why are men like this? This is not the first time this type of event has happened in my life. Le Sigh…
So in finding enough canvas on a roll, we ended up buying a big canvas drop cloth, thinking it was on a roll. It was not, merely folded up. So we couldn’t use that for the ceiling and I thought why not see if I could use it for paintings! And now… drumroll please … finally the photos of the stages of life that Traveling Song, a 12 x 9” acrylic mixed media painting went through before I mount it on a cradled wooden panel so I can wire it on the back and you can hang it on your wall.
At least I think this is the end point of this painting. But once I get that panel and mount it, anything could happen. Stay tuned! I still have another small chunk of the material up here in the studio, but I think this time I will coat it with gesso before I start moving paint and pigment around on it… so the experiment continues!!
One a personal note, we finally had a hot day and got to Ferry Beach State Park in Saco.
I actually got up to my knees before the 60 degree water cooled me off enough to go back to my beach chair and book. The book I’m reading now is The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes. Very interesting novel about Irish sisters. Even though I haven’t finished it, I highly recommend it.
And speaking of sisters, a shout out to my sister LaRae in Colorado who just opened her Golden Goose Fine Arts Gallery & Yoga Studio Aspen. If you’re in the Aspen area, contact her for a studio visit! We never knew each other growing up, so this is a new sisters adventure for us both! Hope your opening yesterday was a big hit!
And on an even more personal note, Happy 46th Anniversary to my darling hubby, John. I don’t know anyone who could have stuck with me through thick and thin like you have my love. He’s also an excellent trombone player, seen here sporting the trombone tie I got him for his birthday this past January.
We got married on Friday, July 13th in Milwaukee WI, at the courthouse with my sister and his brother in attendance.
The next day we held a reception party in John’s parents backyard with a keg o’beer and brats on the grill and a wedding cake. Photo by Debbie Christopherson. We’ve always been weirdos and luckily we found each other.