Art in the Park - Mission refuel

Mission refuel.

I need both food and gasoline. I left the Cypress Hills Inter-Provincial park this afternoon to restock my camping kitchen. Having all this quiet time to reflect and relax has really helped make a concise list for the kitchen. I have had a lot of time to think what you really want to eat and drink.  I finished a book already and started another.

When I drove into Maple Creek and saw the high gas price,  I couldn't have felt more like I've been living in a bubble. I can see why disconnecting is nice, but it feels strange revisiting. Like Mad Max. I feel like I'm at end of the world coming back to discover its been obliterated. Mind you this is pretty close to the middle of nowhere. As I drove into the nearest town, my engine light has come on, I hope I can figure that out before I have to head back into the woods.

The weather has taken a turn for the wilder and windier. My camper door blew open waking me up super early this morning. I have been biking and getting inspired on interpretive trails before putting in some time at the studio. It's nice to have a place to go and work while camping, I am making the best use of it I can.

 Look up! These are the Lodgepole pine surrounding all the campsites and hiking paths.

 They whisper and sway in the breeze.

Down by the lagoon there are lots of entertaining birds. I love my new telephoto lens, it allows me to get nature shots without disturbing the critters.

And now for something completely different........ unnaturally bold in colour and man made, I copper coated my backgrounds then used the ammonia to blue them back up and began putting in some more time on the letter characters. I also made some more test boards and began some new pieces.

Here is a the wild flower that is beginning to pop up everywhere. The light is really beautiful here.

I think I've removed the last huge spider from my sleeping area so the next person to use the camper wont wake in horror to giant spiders in the face. I look forward to having another go at instructing some groups this week-end if the weather brings in a new slew of campers. Now off to pick up supplies and get back to camping.

Black is Black

+ Some rainbow
--
Winter is coming........I got into the studio and sanded a bunch of canvases that had been eagerly awaiting my return.  The canvas that I previously refinished seems good enough to work on for the Versus show now. It needed another coat of gesso and I decided to try something fun and go with thick tar like black as the base coat.

This Gesso by golden is thick and sticky like tar. The canvas was sanded smooth with 220 grit, yet it was still troublesome to apply. I used a spritzer to help move the gesso along making it much easier to work with.

Working on this canvas with a partner will prove to be an interesting challenge.Afterward, I decided to lay out my 18" X 24" canvases intended for a series of loose portraits of the 7 deadly sins. In my research I found out about a mnemonic device to remember the 7 deadly sins: PEG'S LAW.

I used bright marking paint to denote which canvas will be for which sin. I am also giving myself the challenge of working in character with one of the 7 colours of the rainbow, 7 sins + 7 colours (ROYGBIV). Ranked in the order of severity: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Avarice (Greed) and Wrath.