Category: Blitherings

After the Fall . . .

On September 12, 2023, we flew out of Los Angeles to Reykjavik, Iceland. We landed on the 13th. I fell on the 14th and broke my arm. On the 15th we were back in California. 

Diagnosis: comminuted spiral fracture of the left distal humerus. Luckily, it was not compound, meaning the skin was not broken along with the bones. My elbow was fine, too. No surgery needed.

The healthcare I got in Iceland was superb and the people were kind. I was totally doped up on morphine, but still conscious enough to talk my usual drivel and hold still for x-rays. I came back well packaged in a splint taped to my body. 

Now, several weeks and a few months later, I am out of my splint and winding up my occupational therapy. It is time to return to my former life in a more active form. It has not been easy. Many activities require a bit of different thought as well as practice.

Like driving . . .

Driving with a splinted arm was okay for very short distances. Once out of the splint, my arm was still weak and I needed to learn my limits – how far could I go? I stayed local, did my driving in neighborhoods, tried different roads from straight to very curvy, and found I could do all of them with patience. I didn’t drive on the freeway for about a month, and that has not been really comfortable – busy cars and multiple lanes require a bit of a different mindset. Luckily, when I have needed to drive any distance, such as to the Valley in Los Angeles County, the esposo has driven me. 

Now it is time to get it together. This means more and more normal activities, more movement and lifting. My arm is not fully healed – about 85% – so I need to continue to monitor fatigue and pain. In reality, after getting my arm set, I have never been in pain. Aches come and go, and overuse or misuse let me know as I don’t feel normal, just a bit of an ache in this or that position. 

Yesterday I did a bit of gardening, planting bulbs, digging holes, hauling garden soil. Tomorrow I will drive to a friend’s house along some mountain roads. Sewing and painting are there, as they don’t require heavy lifting, but they do require an element of dexterity which has been slowly returning. My left 5th knuckle still bothers me – no idea why – but that, too, is lessening. With use, everything warms up and I am good to go – and that is when I need to be careful!

So, life plods on, but it is time to get back to a more active life. And believe me, Adam and Eve had it worse.

Sweet Lavender

More gouache! Such a lovely, forgiving medium. Mistake? Dry, re-wet, blend some more, paint over. Can you really ask for more? The only problem with artist’s gouache is that it stays water soluble when you are done with the painting, but there are ways to seal it and make it waterproof. I think I will try that out on some gouache painting failures – like my snow scene of yesterday.

After getting lost in a drift on that snowy road of yesterday, off in my Learjet for warmer climes and roads easier to navigate. May as well time travel a bit, too, and move from winter to late summer.

Back to lavender fields! The ones I have been doing in acrylic are a bit gaudy, but so is lavender. Some lavender is light, some is so dark it rivals the deep blues of lobelia. I tried to strike a bit of a more subdued approach to a large amount of lavender, and I think it works pretty well.

Artist’s gouache on bristol paper; about 8×10.

Snowy Pines Road – Rectangular or Square?

Another afternoon, another bit of time, another gouache. Today, since we are in December, it is time to visit mythological scenes of snow and cold as today we had 70+ F, and tomorrow more of the same with the possibility of fires because of the winds.

I am also in a bit of a dilemma – are the trees too heavy on the left hand side of the painting, or should they be reduced a bit in volume? The only way to do this is to crop the picture, so I did it in Lightroom.

Or is the square one a better painting?

I am rather torn. So, a slide show to compare them side by side. Drag the <> as far as you can left to right if you want to see them . . .

Your thoughts??

Poinsettias in a Blue Vase

I wanted to paint today, but I didn’t want to deal with acrylics and the bit of a mess they create. Gouache has been on my mind as I haven’t done it for a long time!

Starting this painting was a bit tough, just because I am out of practice. Still, I found all the painting I have been doing made it a bit more easy than I anticipated, but, once more I find myself stuck with problems of light and shadow. But here, it is play; the concept is there, and the plan, while not working out, did kind of get there. Certainly you can see where the light is coming from – but not sure how much it worked out.

Fun time, and that is what an easy afternoon is all about! I used bristol paper for this, and was rather pleased with the way the gouache went on. About 10×14 inches.