Drive, Rooster and 29 Faces

Hawaiian Rooster
encaustic 6x6
 

What drives you?
My husband went to an interview this past week and this was one of the questions. He came home and told me about how it all went - questions and his answers. He said, I'm not sure I did OK on this one. So, he asked me... "What drives you? How would you answer that?"
Really, it was an easy answer for me. I am driven to gain knowledge. I am driven to understand things, to better myself and my skills and to learn all this by gaining knowledge. Sometimes I get an insatiable appetite for learning something. I am driven to compulsion to learn it. I get it in my brain and it takes hold and I'm on a tangent... I'm driven to learn whatever it is.
I learn through books, videos, asking questions and finding examples, taking lessons. Study is in there too. I study. I practice.  I also google. I love it - this quest for knowledge. Its ongoing for me and ever changing. I land in a spot and gain knowledge there and when I feel like I've learned it - I move on, move forward. That was my answer - this is what drives me. He looked at me and said "wow, I think I should have said that  - that's a good answer".   Made me smile.

I mentioned I was on a bird thing. Here's one of the few I've been working on. I always wonder why a certain animal appears in my mind and just has to be painted. I do believe there is some connection there when an animal makes an appearance. So, if you are curious, as I was - here's the answer Rooster totem

And... Its time for 29 Faces - so... here we go

Face #1

Face #1
29 Faces

I've actually been doing it - painting every day (almost). And... I've been working in series, like 4 encaustic paintings at a time - which, really makes sense.  I'm also still dabbling in oil paint and filling in my sketch book.  Then.. I use my left over paint and just paint for fun, from my imagination, in this old book I found at the Goodwill.  If they're really bad, I just rip out the page and throw it away (I've only done that once - it was bad - believe me.... bad).
Happy Friday!  Join the fun

Yes!, 21 Days and Forming Habits

Yes!  With a big fist pump for the victories.

It takes 21 days to make something a habit.  Its now past that in dates on the calendar.  I'm holding well to some of my resolutions and others - well... like going to the gym 3 days a week, I haven't yet reached the 21 day mark.  So, that makes 7 weeks I have to go to the gym 3 days a week to make my 21 days in order for it to be a habit.  I'm on day 9 - I'll be in double digits soon and halfway to a habit forming routine.  So, I'm feeling good about that.  Victory!
I'm also working on a 365 photo - take a photo a day.  I'm off a couple of days - but I feel I'm in the early stages of that one - I'm really counting on the habit part of it to kick in and carry me through days 200+.
Next, meatless Monday for dinner.. that's a tough one because 21 Mondays takes me to May 27 and that's a lot of meatless recipes I have to find to get me there.
Making my bed everyday - not doing so well on that one.  Already fell off the wagon for walking the dog every day and haven't even gotten started on my organizational plans. 
One of my other hopeful 21 day regime/habit forming things is to try and paint (or draw or sketch) everyday. Its a tall order - so really... to be realistic, if I get into the studio 5 of 7 days - that's remarkable and really, really good. Let's see... 5 days a week would make a little over 4 weeks to become a habit - so far, I'm in good shape.  Victory!
Its early yet - so no judgement.. there's still plenty of time to make things a habit.  With that in mind, I'll show you what I've been up to this week with my habit forming almost daily studio workings ..  Earlier in the week, I showed the Pinyon Jay and promised to show the other half of his panel:

encaustic, india ink, oil on birch 10x22

Happy Friday!

Fog, Painting All Day and The Pinyon Jay

The Pinyon Jay
detail of a larger painting
encaustic and India Ink on birch approximately 10x10

Imagine yourself sitting in the bottom of a refrigerator looking up through the glass shelf that has milk poured across its surface... well, that sums up Seattle's weather as of late.  Normally, it would be causing me to moan about the fog and the chill and the lack of sun and, and, and...  yet, there is good that has come from this weather inversion.

cold chilly foggy weather + the lack of desire to go out =

brilliant studio time to paint to my heart's desire

 

I've been working on a series of bird paintings due to my thrift store bargain of the century - a book on north American birds that I swear was never opened but the one obligatory time when received as a gift.  Lucky for me, it made its way to the Goodwill.  Thank you very much Mr or Mrs Anonymous Giver - your donation is greatly appreciated!

 

Mr. Jay here is not a bird that is local to us in the Pacific Northwest - yet, I so loved him that he just had to make it onto a panel.  He has several other friends in various stages of work, so he is not alone in studio.  Its starting to look like a regular aviary in the basement workshop.

 

That glimpse of red at the left of the painting?  Its the other half of this panel.  Will show you that on Friday - so be sure to come back for the unveiling.



Camping, Beetles and Other Oddities

I've been camping in a figurative way. I basically pitched my tent and have stayed a while on a lovely plateau. I've been camping in the land of faces and I've really been having a lot of fun painting and taking the time to study them. I've spent about a month here - working on skills and really noticing a positive difference. I will say that it really does make a difference to stay in one spot with one focus and really get to know one thing. Good things come from tunnel vision.

Yet, like any good camping experience there is a time to move on - a time to break camp.   I still haven't figured why oddball things to paint come to my brain.  I've been so focused on faces and then I couldn't get bugs off my mind - specifically beetles.   The thought wouldn't go away until they were complete.  I've learned to not question it any more - I just paint.  I used to get stressed about what I paint and whether it fits a style or even makes sense to be painting faces then painting bugs - and now I have a giant horse on my work table and a whole lotta bird ideas flitting through my brain.  Not sure when I'll be back in the land of faces, but I do hope to do 29 Faces this year - coming in February :) 

encaustic 8x8

encaustic 8x8

encaustic 8x8

Happy Friday everyone!!