Deadlines and Commitments...

November begins; five months to my solo show.

I mixed up some Gamblin Traditional Gesso last night; I’m going to prepare at least one panel tonight. (You have to wait 12 – 24 hours after preparing the gesso—and it has to be heated in a double boiler—before it can be applied to a rigid support.)
I’ve been working on a new, two-figure drawing for the past month or so, and I can’t wait to get started on the painting part (but patience is a virtue). I’m hoping that this painting will be good enough to serve as the “centerpiece” for the show.

Time will tell.

I’m feeling really good right now. I spent six hours Saturday afternoon airbrushing flat colour onto four sheets of expensive, handmade paper, for a lady who does restoration work for several museums around the world. The colour I was applying needed to perfectly match the colour of the backing paper on a Chinese screen she had restored. She was pleased with my work (and a little extra money will come in very handy at the moment!)

You really can’t over state how good it feels to successfully complete a demanding task!
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I made a list of the pieces I want to create for the show in April, and I made a separate (and, honestly, rather reasonable) list of the work I need to complete this month. I’m going to pay particular attention to making sure I spend three to four nights each week, working in the studio. I wasn’t able to do that in October (for a variety of reasons), and I want to feel like I’ve “kept up” with my “list” in November.

* * * *

I have made a good start on the commissioned tarantula (see photo). It needs to be done (along with several other projects) by the end of this month, and I think it will be.

So, the month is off to a good start, and my main “task” is simply not to lose any momentum.