Time off

Last Tues July 20, I fell on my right hand with fingers bent backwards.  Ouch! Broke pinkie (bruied all fingers, knees, cheekbone, right shoulder and forehead)  but not knuckle, wrist, arm, hip, teeth or face.  Basically slowed down for the next few weeks.  Kinda long to detail, but I was fumed out from just having spent the previous 5 hrs painting the backdrop for The Pavillion, the next play at our local theater.  Set designer wanted a graduated sky faux finish and I sponged it.  I didn't realize I was loopy until I fell.

No, you don't wanna see pictures.  Especially after I dumped icewater into my crotch at the hospital.  Comedy of errors and lots of laughs.

 So, cast goes on this Tuesday and I learn to make pastel paintings in bold impressionist style with my left hand for a few weeks.  Then back to the mural to add yellow cat on left sill and finish greenery in rightside window.

 Please check back in a few weeks for updates!

almost finished

I put some ferns in the lefthand corner.

This foreground is finally coming together!

FORE!!!!

mural update

Finally I was able to get back to work on the mural on Tuesday.  I'll go today, too, but it's foggy and wet (in Mendocino) this morning and I'm taking a few extra minutes to update the blog while I'm supine here with Toodles (little white dog) who is visiting for another week. 

I was able to bring up the last photos into Photoshop and add more trees and foliage, (photo above is a computer generation) work out how the gate should be painted in, and get my brain prepared to actually apply paint.  Here is the view as of Tuesday afternoon.

It'll be fun to see how much progress I make today.  Moody day.    Thanks for watching!

Wine Cellar Mural

ground wires

will ultimately be camouflaged with a bare branch.

Above shows the window edge taped off and a quick swipe of latex flat to take off the sheen of the glossy white.

I then taped on a border of papertape to allow freedom of my sponge painting

and prevent drips by taping a crumpled papertowel underneath the piece across the bottom.

This week I was able to spend almost 3 full days painting.  I finished the stonework around the window and the hinges; spent lots of time taping the edge so I could work on the landscape.  What you see is a "foundation" or underpainting for future trees and landscaping.  The owner requested a "personalization" of the view and I'll put in a putting green (see the "sand trap") and the gate to the property.  I added a water feature on the far right and laid in some reflections.  This will all be refined with more trees added the next time I get back to the job. 

In the meantime, I'm off to St. Helena to scope out the Art/Wine Festival July 2-3 and pick up Toodles in Cloverdale on the way back for our 2-week visit.  The pup comes home to visit!

So, I'll be back to work the last 2 weeks of July when I have someone to cover the gallery.  Thanks for watching!