Tag: summer

Heat & Sloth

 

Today both Josh and I were exhausted.  This hot weather is so draining, and instead of the nights cooling off as they usually do in California, it pervades into sleeping hours as well.  Open windows and fans work most of the time, but today the air conditioning is running full time to keep the house at 75, not 81 or so.  The result is fatigue in a very odd way.  The mind is numb.  The body is numb.  It’s like being a reptile in cold weather – moving requires too much effort.  In a bit, around 7:30 p.m., we will be out for a walk – how hot will it be?  Certainly cooler than earlier, but probably in the mid-80s.  How far we go depends on how hot it is.  Both the dogs and we need some exercise.

Such an uneventful day.  So little accomplished or aimed for other than survival.  No dinner cooked, just scrounging around for whatever can be found.  Passive activities such as watching TV and movies in the middle of the day.  The mind is only now becoming a bit more alert.  No sewing, painting, or anything that required too much, although I did pick up a 6th grade math book for the fun of it . . . that took a bit of effort, let me tell you.

And more heat tomorrow . . . it does beat a hurricane, though.  I am grateful for that.  I still have a home.  And, I know enough about heat exhaustion, having had it many times over the past several summers, that I stay hydrated and cool.  Only the other day a hiker died in the nearby mountains while his or her companions called 911 for help with their own heat exhaustion.  But being passive is so tiring in its own way.

California Back Country

Even though summer is moving through July, soon into August, the rains we had over the spring are still leaving waves of color in the hills of the California back country.  Usually at this time of year beige is the predominant color, and in really dry years, a dark dirty brown.  This summer is a delight of colors – pale compared to spring – with wildflowers still hidden amongst the grasses.

Across a Field of Flowers

I’ve had this painting on my easel for about a week.  There was a lot of thought put into it – an almost scary amount given my impatient, impetuous tendencies.  Sky and basic colors in pale shades.  From there, midtones, darker shades, and finally details.  The foreground was so challenging – the cone flowers want detail, but don’t want too much.  The orange ones are totally lacking in detail, and are just blobs of color.  And then the buildings . . . still some perspective issues, particularly in the house on the right, but better than anything I have done to date.  Dreams of summer now that spring is blooming here in California!

Mornings

I love mornings!  They are the time of day when everything is new and fresh, and each day is a gift.  Add to that I fall asleep at 9, and you can tell I am a morning person for sure.  Usually I spend my mornings reading the news – but that is becoming less interesting as I change my usual morning habits to spending anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour sketching or doing some form of watercolor, structured, unstructured, from an object, a picture, or my imagination.  Hopeful that I don’t dump my paint brush into my morning coffee (believe me, it has happened more than once!), here are some pieces from the past few weeks.

Doing these paintings and drawings every day is resulting in some good experiences and increased confidence in what I can do.  There are times everything sucks – no perspective, no contrast, whatever – and then there are times when it comes together.  And times when that proverbial “ah ha!” moment hits, and what has been intellectually clear is now clear in the mind-muscle-eye coordination when rendering paint.  Occasionally I use line, other times I don’t and just paint, thinking ahead to figure out what goes where.  Stepping back to critique things is also a worthwhile endeavor – fresh eyes after a few days.

In a couple of weeks – no school!  I’ll be free until I pick up 3 weeks of ESL at the end of July.  Until then, painting, continued cleaning up and unpacking after the flood, and a trip or two here or there.  Summer awaits!