Small Landscape, Palm Trees and Magic

Ok. I was answering an email at the gallery. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a news item on Live Messenger Today- "Woman lies under dead husband for days." Huh? So I had to click on it, right? Wouldn't you? I mean, really. So, it's one of those video news stories. Groan. I wait through an advertisement for insurance and up pops this farmhouse and the voice over telling the story. But something visceral happens when I see the farmhouse. I hit Ctrl Prt Scrn and then paste it into Paint in my Accessories. I cut the farmhouse image out of the whole news page and paste it onto a new blank image. I go back to the video and when it pans to the right I repeat the process to get the far right of the image and then cut and paste the two together. The narrator shows the man who got the woman out from under her husband, saving her life. No explanation as to why she couldn't get out herself. Leaves one to wonder.

So I have this farmhouse photo and wonder what I'm supposed to do with THAT. I thought about the exercise Carol Marine had us do in her workshop six weeks ago.... set a time limit and paint quickly. Of course her exercise involved one object in burnt umber, but I set a limit of thirty minutes to paint this 5x7 canvas panel, and then told myself "GO!" In walks one couple, the woman introduces herself as an artist so I'm painting and talking as fast as I can, I stop and print my workshop information off for her, then jump back in front of the easel and continue. They leave and in walks another couple, fun and conversational as all get out.... and I chat and paint, chat and paint and keep looking at my watch and then "TIME'S UP!" I grabbed a curtain hook and scratched my signature in the wet paint and take some photos. Here's the painting. I kind of like it.

My day started off great. I visited some of my favorite blogs and got hit in the face with a painting of palm trees by Kathryn Law that so wowed me that I posted a comment and asked if the painting might be for sale. She wrote back with yes and the amount and within moments and via PayPal I became the excited owner of a still wet painting in Kathryn's studio. Only then did I go back and read what she'd written about the trees... that they were an example of bending and not breaking. Life is so good.

Otherwise, I did computer chores and talked with really cool people visiting the gallery today. Karen had packed me a fabulous lunch and I really HEARD some of the songs on my iPod today that were just background music before. Some days are pure magic. On the way home I narrowly escaped getting creamed by a driver who pulled out in front of me from the right lane, sending me skidding way out onto the shoulder of the fast lane at high speed. I arrived home a little shaky, but my little family put it all right again in moments. I heard a fun band play on our local college radio station on the way home and it was announced they were playing at a place in our neck of San Antonio tonight, so we're going to go hear some music and tap our feet and maybe sing along.

Happy Friday everyone!