I hope you’ve had a Merry Christmas, or what ever holiday you chose to celebrate. We have now begun a new year.
For me, I had begun 2023 with a lot of hope. I had finished several paintings, something I had not done in a number of years, and I had hoped to do many more in 2023. I started my website, and entered my work into jury shows. I was even accepted into one in Georgia.
That was all interrupted by the discovery of a tumor on my chest and it’s removal in August. My painting since then has been sketchy, and by that, I don’t me that I’ve been doing sketch work. I’ve stayed indoors mostly. The first warmer days after the operation were recovery days. When I did start painting, found my strength and spirit were still lacking. The few paintings I’ve worked on have been interiors of my home. They’re ideas I’ve had in the past, but their execution was much more difficult that I had figured.
Since then, I’ve started a few outdoor winter paintings of my neighbors’ homes decorated with Christmas lights. One was from my front stoop, while the other was from our deck. I’m still waiting for snow to complete the paintings. Maybe I”ll have more about them when snow arrives.
As for my New Years Resolution, they are ones I’ve intended for some time. One of them is to buy a new plein air easel. Currently, I have what is called a French easel. It’s like a pochade box with legs, and its top opens up to hold canvases. While the first box my father bought me lasted eight years, the next two have proven to be much less reliable. This last one is breaking in less than two years. I painted eighty paintings with the first easel. I’ll be lucky to have twenty in with the last.
So this year, I intend to get a tripod style easel. Hopefully, I'll do so sooner than later.
My second resolution is to sketch ideas in acrylic thumbnails before painting the scenes. I want to think about what choose to paint, and to decide if it needs to be rearranged before I painting it, instead of after. I told my daughter about this intent, and she bought me a collection of acrylic paint tubes for Christmas. Thanks, Emma.
My last resoution is simply to hope that this year will be more positive than the last. Let’s hope, and even pray if you believe it will help, that this year will be better for everyone. After two wars, and so much suffering, let’s hope this year finds more peace. After so much antagonism and devisiveness, yet's hope for some acceptance and understanding.
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