Where I left it

   So far today, I've had two painting sessions, and I don't seem to be able to leave the faces alone. Through the course of the first session, every one of the mother's features were obliterated and re-painted. I still see some things to fix before I can bring the values up. But it's closer. And I think I'm going to make the shirt yellow-ish instead of pink. So it can be gender neutral.

    Sometimes I am really grateful for the peace of my studio and the work I can do there. It is a big stress reliever to journey inward and paint. 

   Right now, I need it, because my university, where I am scheduled to teach four face to face classes in the fall at full capacity, has chosen to not require vaccines, have a mask mandate or social distancing. My students, unless something changes, will be sitting elbow to elbow for an hour and 50 minutes, twice a week. 

    I was so proud of how Ferris handled the pandemic last year, and I felt lucky because they worked hard to keep us safe. I don't know where that leadership has gone. I hope that my fellow faculty members and our student parents will speak up and demand safety for us all. Otherwise, this is going to be a rough semester.

 

Close

I've been so lazy lately, half paralyzed at the thought of school starting soon, so I've been skivving off to the pool or the beach, and the other half paralyzed in self defense of my school's (lack of) safe policy for us in the fall. 

   But today, I worked on settling this face, first in good daylight and then by studio light. She is close to where she will be in the end, I think. 

 

I do this every time

Even though the mother's face passed the upside down test, I still wasn't satisfied when I turned it back right side up. Her eyes looked too close set. So today, in a rash and risky moment, I changed them. And now, I think I like them! It's lucky, because usually when I haul off and do something like this, it is a journey of miles to get back to an acceptable state. But I think I can work with this one.