I was working on this painting on Sunday and … GASP! I repainted the sky. I didn’t want to do this, it just started happening, and then it kept happening. I was completely absorbed in listening to Tool and my hands got away from me. Before I knew it the entire sky had been repainted and I had barely even touched the water which was the whole point of that painting session. It was probably inevitable for me to repaint the sky since I’ve been dissatisfied with it from the beginning, but I had decided to just be done with it. I’m a little irritated that this painting has failed yet again to progress.

The painting session really wasn’t a failure though. I was so thoroughly in the zone that two hours passed in the blink of an eye during which I put some work into two paintings and started two others. I’ve been struggling lately to reach that magical place while painting. It could probably be said that I paint to clear my mind and the painting is a nice byproduct of that. My problem is probably that I’ve been listening to audiobooks lately while I’ve been painting instead of music. I’ve been listening to Tool for 15 years and I’ve always been able to use it to absorb my thoughts and clear my mind. I shouldn’t mess with what works.

Update on my Art Extravaganza post from last week: 

I finally picked up my painting and the photo I won in the auction last week. I ended up talking to the art coach, Bruce Hucko, and he informed me that I was the only parent to participate in two years. This is a kindergarten through 6th grade school. There are hundreds of students and no parent except me participated? I did think it was odd that Bruce put in so much of his own art, but thought the other art was from parents. Apparently, that art was from other teachers and staff at the school. I’m really a bit disappointed that there wasn’t any other participation, but I think it’s a pretty clear indication of the state of art programs in general. Underfunded and underappreciated.

I also updated my Exploration post to include a better final picture. I did it correctly (outside, open shade, tripod) this time and it really shows. It’s a much more accurate representation of the painting.

Read more about this painting:

Part 2 – The Strait of Juan de Fuca