Category: Blitherings

Lock Down!

In a state of 40 million, there is a lot of potential for sickness.  The trajectory is 56% of the population will get Covid-19.  That is 22, 400,000 people will get sick.  There are 3 known corona virus victims in the city where I live, and 17 throughout the county.  At least the governor of Califronia is taking a proactive approach to lessening the spread of this virus – the new state mandate is everyone shelter in place, but you can get out to shop for food, get medical care, bank, buy gas.  You can get out for exercise in open spaces.  I cannot believe the fact that kids are flocking to our southern beaches to play and party and crowd together, yet that is youth – indestructible and still in a world of magical thinking.  Yet, I do get it.

Meanwhile, I am sitting here pondering what to do with myself.  The other half is home, working full time and telecommuting again (he is happy).  We sort of tumble over each other at times, but part of that is just life in a smallish house.  Unlike many people, we are going to be fine no matter what happens – income, insurance, access to doctors and care.  Good neighbors.  People to call.  I am pondering because all the things I should avoid suddenly become things I want to do!  I need to really sit down and put a bit of a list together for fun things and necessary things to do.  It would be a great time to do a bit of cleaning – but where do you bring discards if the places such as Goodwill are closed?  Life will continue, no matter what happens, and getting creative and productive is important.  Cabin fever is not something I like, nor do most people, I expect.

I am glad I live in a state, expensive as it is, with problems like every place else, is genuinely concerned about the welfare of its citizens (and non-citizens).  Governor Newsom is working for the people, not for the profiteers.  In this country with poor healthcare and safety nets, all the overlords will be so sad when their worker bees die from the virus because sick leave and health care are unavailable.  How inconsiderate of those damned worker bees.

Quarantine!

We are not there yet, but could be. We are now under national, state, and county emergency declarations. Local schools are closed. The grocery stores are swamped. We have essentials, and we have TP! Our freezer is full of veggies, fruit, meat, and film. We have electricity and running water. We have yarn. We have fabric. We have art supplies. We have a neighborhood where the houses – and thus the people – are more than 6 feet apart, so we can go for a walk or out on a hike. We have computers, board games, dogs, and Netflix. We have old DVDs. We have a garage full of stuff to be cleaned out or worked on. Housework, too.

I think we can stay fairly well amused in face of these emergencies. While it may seem I am making light of the situation, which has been poorly handled in a country our size and will most likely result in unnecessary deaths and debt, it really is important to think of the “what if” situation. For instance, toilet paper is being bought up in alarming rates.

I heard from a woman in line at the market that her son in Japan cannot find it anywhere. So what do you use? Google it and you can get some answers.

As well, people with kiddies (and adults) in diapers are being told to make sure they have enough on hand. That makes sense – but when the disposable supply is low or gone? Cloth is your friend, then. I remember all too well the diaper pails and the washing of diapers, sometimes by hand if the electricity failed, on a washboard.  And the smell of ammonia.  Modern conveniences, when they disappear, have alternatives.

So far, where I live, there are about 4 cases in the county. However, schools are closed, and other public places. My husband can work from home quite easily. The last true emergency I can think of is when we entered WW2. We will learn from this situation, but there may be a high cost because of those who have destroyed government resources for such times.

 

Pastels

I have had a few boxes of pastels, hard (Nupastel) and soft (Rembrandt) lying around for years. I finally found a class on pastels through the local adult school. It’s 8 weeks long, so a lot can be learned in that time. The teacher is also good, organized, and capable of teaching a wide range of people. I am learning a lot about a medium I have never really used, and that makes me happy. I always think of pastels as “drawings” but it turns out they are actually considered “paintings” because of their being made of pigments. I guess charcoal and pencil produce drawings.

In each class there is a focus.  The one below was the very first one – paper and strokes, and a study on how to set up the Rule of Thirds in a painting.  The photo we worked from was quite different than what we were instructed to do.  Simplification of the overall photo along with placement of points of interest where the lines of the Rule of Thirds intersect.  We also experimented with different strokes, atmospheric perspective, and color.  I like the colors and textures I got here.

This one is one I did on my own. I tried to catch the coldness of a winter day. I used a blue paper for the base, and worked at keeping the distance simpler than the foreground. As usual, I really do struggle with depth and perspective, and had to work on this a bit.

Below is our study from last week’s class. The focus of this lesson was atmospheric perspective, meaning how distance and atmosphere change with distance. The sky is lighter at the horizon than higher in the sky. The further things are from the viewer, the more the atmosphere changes their detail and color. The foreground is brighter and darker (though I cannot quite get what the teacher means when she says that – I should ask – but I think she means the colors are more intense). Distance means paler colors and simpler shapes. I really worked a lot on this one once I got it home – my foreground was just a mush of color all in the same tonality. I laid in a lot of white and lighter colors to create the sandy soil in the foreground for the final image.

This next week we will be working on clouds during the day – not sunset, not sunrise. I saw a video on YouTube about this same thing, so I plan to watch it before next Monday’s class.

Patio Sketches

Where-oh-where does time go?  I have been busy – so busy – that I have not sat down with a brush or piece of paper in ages it seems.  Sewing socializing, health, family, photography, hiking, knitting – just some of the things taking up my time.  I can’t use cold weather as an excuse.  I’ve been more busy than I am used to – and enjoying all of it.

And yesterday?  The weather was lovely, so out into the dog free zone I went, travel palette, cup of water, a paper towel, water brushes.  The 6×8 Bee paper is perfect for just playing – it’s a decent paper, 100% cotton, and heavy enough to mush a lot of water around on both sides.  I just played, using the daffodils in a vase inside – brought outside – plants on the patio, fruit and vegetables from the kitchen.  I could tell I was rusty – but had fun anyway!

I need to remember my promise to myself when I retired: paint or draw every day! Like a vitamin or a prayer – good for the soul.