Letting Go

We all die, and of course, as we age, the chances greatly increase! Rather a gloomy thought . . . but I am firmly of the belief that thanatopsis is a good thing. I once read that in Bhutan, thanatopsis is a regular daily event. Why? Simply put, it makes the here, the now, the present, the gifts of your daily life, all the more valuable and valued.

So, I am letting go in some ways as I clean out my garage, studio, bedroom, and life. Today I packed up 7 boxes of papers to be shredded by a mobile shredding company. Papers include old financial statements, real estate dealings, pay stubs, and diaries.

Oh, the diaries! Last time I shredded diaries dating back to the 60s. Pages and pages. Who wants to read me whine and cry about the injustices of life or how I feel or why I hate my job? Certainly no one! This time the diaries only dated back to 1989, a few years before I met my second husband. I read a few entries and promptly tore out more pages to shred. I even tore up last year’s journals.

I write to keep myself sane, to organize my thoughts, and to think. It is a habit I have had for ages, and see no point in stopping it – only keeping it from going public. I totally get why Cassandra Austen burnt many of Jane’s letters upon her death – too many intimate details. My details are more of a pity party than pithy observations.

But, in letting go, I also realize I need to get a family trust set up and other duties to be done before that fateful day. Power of Attorney, DNR and DNI, medical wishes. So, as I let go of material things to make way for a new sewing cabinet, I am gaining room in my house, in my head, and in odd ways, in my heart.

More Pencil Portraits

Last year I started a pencil portrait class, and since have continued with it when offered. It used to be through the local adult school, but with Pandemia, that was quickly shut down. Thus, the teacher offered it to us outdoors at a local park, and I jumped on it, as did others.

The above portrait is the first one I did this year. I was determined to do it within the two hours we have for the outdoor class, rather than the 10 hours I took for the little boy below last summer. The style is rough and quick, but important in the sense of working to get proportions and shadings correct.

This little boy is from a photograph from the mid 1950s. He is really sweet and I think I managed to catch his character. He looks older in the drawing than he did in the photograph.

I think I may have posted this drawing here or on another blog, but this one I was determined to catch a different position of the head. Proportions change when the head position changes, and I was rather pleased with this one!

This profile I completed last week. The photo I used as reference came from Pixabay, a great resource for royalty-free photos. I decided to print out the photo on my laser, forcing black and white, and then using it taped upside down on my drawing board, as suggested by Betty Edwards in her book “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain”. It worked! At the end, I turned it right side up to put in the eyelashes . . .

This is my current WIP. I started it last Wednesday. As with its predecessor, this one is also being done with the portrait upside down, and from a photo on Pixabay. It’s about 75% done I think. I need to work on the lights / darks and shadows a bit more, as well as make the hair more distinctive.

I got a few others in my class turning their reference photos upside down! The one thing they noticed, as did I, is that the shadows and shapes become dominant – you aren’t drawing a person any longer, but you are copying light and dark, shape and shadow. It’s amazing how well it works.

Well, time to wander off. The day has been spent reorganizing my life, meaning the garage, the closet, the studio, and the bedroom. Cocktail or whisky, anyone?

I Want It Now!

Time to clean up my mess.

Well, I have actually been doing it over the last few weeks

At long last, it is just a few days before the delivery of my new, and final, sewing cabinet. I’ve been waiting for it for 3 weeks. It has drawers and shelves, so hopefully the mess that is my sewing, strewn about the house, will not be focused in one area, and easy to tidy up.

Years ago I had a tiny room off my kitchen in an old and odd boarding house I lived in during the 70s which served beautifully. Good light, built-in wall ironing board. I used a student desk as a sewing table and spent hours in pure bliss. Now, nearly 50 years later, after testing out with a small sewing table in the bedroom, the investment is made. Good light, room to move, and a whole wall to myself.

To accommodate this new member to the household, a domino effect has to happen. Stuff needs moving, discarding, rearranging. I couldn’t do it in one day. This cabinet is made by Koala Cabinets, manufactured in the USA, and beautifully finished. Not cheap. My local sewing machine store sold me their floor model for a reasonable price and are delivering it this coming Tuesday night. The reason? Koala has revamped their sewing cabinet line to become more modular, as well as more cost-efficient to manufacture, but not less in quality.

Below is an old YouTube video that shows the manufacturing of their cabinets, which I think is absolutely fascinating. You can find more info online, of course.

Yeah, so I want it now. Instead, more work has to be done on revamping and moving and reshelving stuff, but in the long run, the effort is worth it: less junk and clutter! I think the arrival and using the new sewing cabinet will not be outpaced by my anticipation!

Thaw

Today it is still cold! I went out with my drawing class early this morning – 53F! (Laugh if you want – but that is really unusually cold where I live.) The sun came out and warmed us up, but I still felt the chill when I got home. A hot lunch started to thaw my chilly bones – so let’s consider that Spring is around the corner, and the thaw begins with running creeks.

Another Look Back (1/26 to 3/13/2021)

I always enjoy taking a look at paintings and studies I have done.  Last time I posted them here was in late January, so another posting is due.  I have been really busy over the last couple of weeks getting this mess of a house cleaned up, so painting has been a bit sporadic.  Some of the ones here may be duplicates of previous, but as my life is chaotic, so go my posts.  My pencil portraits need to be scanned, and they will come at a later date.