Overdoing it on One Project Means Not Able to Work on Another

Gardening took precedence over painting lately. Today, I managed to spend a few minutes in the studio. I hauled the big, heavy hibiscus plant outside to give me more room. Unfortunately, I overdid it these past few days and my lower back, knees, and feet hurt so bad it was painful to stand.

I even pulled the stool out from under the nearby table, but the height didn’t work. It was either too tall for me to get on or too low to work on the painting. I’m beginning to think I may need to revamp my studio to allow me to sit at the easels.

 

Drat! I don’t want to. I spent a lot of time setting up this studio, plus, I like standing to paint. It allows me to move around and back up to get a different perspective. Yeah, I admit sitting would let me in closer for better detail work, but I sit to write, so standing to paint gets me on my feet.

I concentrated on adding some darks to "Angel Pose," even some green in Leo’s fur to reflect the background (Nan’s suggestion). I played with a couple shades of orange and beigy-yellows and used a small piece of pipe insulation to blend the colors a little and remove pastel dust landing on areas I didn't want that particular color.

Unfortunately, the pain in my feet worsened making it hard to focus and as I hurried to get some progress in, I got sloppy.

In my hurry and lack of focus, I’m not happy with today’s progress. I do like the color, but I messed up with the legs. (And I still haven’t made up my mind to add the tail … I should.)

I moved over to “Winding Through Autumn” to do a little on this painting. This one is coming along nicely. I used the pipe insulation to blend/scruff up color and smooth out the areas between water and land. Again, it also removed particles that drifted onto other colors.

But … I am really contemplating setting up my studio to allow me to sit. I hate to give in. I want to work through the pain. I want to tough it out! Maybe I just have to admit I can no longer stand any length of time … and, too, I won’t need to sit all the time. 

I want to go back in the studio, but I wouldn’t be able to stand comfortably.