Diary of a Residency, Day 19, March 6, 2009

I just read a Judith Warner column (NY Times) online, and she mentions the boredom of reading the college student’s journal. The boredom of Be, Here, Now. The boredom of non-ironic attempts to Be Good.

Oh dear. This Journal is undoubtedly something of the same.

But never mind — it’s only for  myself. Any voyeurs out there can keep their (bad) opinions to themselves and click “close.”

Today was slow. I handed out flyers for the Open Studio tomorrow, noon to 5 pm, Saturday March 7. I thought I might be met with hostility about putting up the fluers, but au contraire — the problem was, everyone wanted to talk. And talk some more. Small towns, new subjects — new audience — what more could you ask.  I was worn out by the time I got to the Red Barn.

So I futzed. I repainted, some more, Shorty’s Rebellion. It’s getting better, but the refrigerator lady (as Jer terms Desert Venus) is too big for the couch. And if I make the couch any bigger we lose the speck that represents Shorty and his penguin.

Shorty’s Rebellion, in progress, 18 x 36″, oil on board.

I did bring the Ghost Rider down to the Last Supper; she was getting hungry.

So tomorrow I will reduce the size of Lego Lady . And I will work on the Compass Rose, in the Panorama, which in the real Red Barn yard is beautiful and so needs to have a better representation in the painting. And I will have an open studio that someone might come to.

I finished the Sourdough Saloon and tacked it up as well as tacking up the Bottle House:

Sourdough Saloon, Downtown Beatty NV, 12 x 16″, oil on board

Oh and I photographed the growing maze that I’m building, one stone a day:

It was sunny and warm at first today, but turned cold enough that I put on my mittens and plugged in the heat. And made plans as well as sketches for the rest of the residency work (meaning the rest of the available materials). Actually, I probably will go home with an unpainted board or ten, but I still have to fill as many as I can, given that I have a few standards that have to be met.

My biggest goal is to paint the Barrick mine, pleine aire, on a big board. This will take a week of careful work, and one hopes and looks for decent weather. I’ll have to plan carefully. Otherwise, the plans are too vague to be written about — they might disperse, written on sand. Oh and there’s always our trip to Death Valley — one day, all round, with perhaps a painting or two also? <snort>

So plans, but not work, got done. And tomorrow is another day.

Reported this 6th day of March, from Beatty, Nevada.

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