Preparations Begin for the Show

This painting isn't quite done, but I wanted to post it anyway because it's my first attempt at a big pastel. This is 22x45. It's for the Machias Show, and I plan to do another of the same scene in the summer. The idea is that Demeter is goddess of agriculture and she quit doing her job when Persephone was abducted..........hence, winter. It's amazing that this succeded at all because I had to do the sky all over again after I had a whole different one done. I didn't like it, so worked it completely over again on top of the first one. As far as I can tell, it works, but I haven't seen it in the daylight.

I had to rearrange the studio to accommodate this big piece of paper. I have no board big enough to put it on, so I couldn't use the easel. I tacked it to the wall and worked on it that way, but before I could do it I had to clear a wall. That meant moving all the paintings I had to make room, and then to rearrange the junk that was propped up against the wall I needed to use. I did all of this yesterday, as well as painting the paper blue. So today I was ready to go. I did it in the same length of time it takes to do a little one, including reworking the sky. Of course I don't klnow how long I will work on the finishing touches, which sometimes are another whole day.

I ran out of fuel today. I am on automatic delivery, but somehow they made a mistake. I didn't discover it until I noticed I didn't have any hot water. I had to call the company, and they had to send a man to restart the furnace as well as deliver the oil. As I was investigating the problem, I found out how to set the temperature of my hot water, which has been so hot it will cook eggs, as well as burn an unsuspecting user. No one has been able to tell me how to reset the temperature, but now that I know, I am sure to save fuel. Some good comes from everything, I guess.

Tomorrow I will see Alice for the first time in over a week, assuming she goes to work. I won't be surprised if the clinic calls and cancels in the morning, but if she is there I am expecting bad news about her medical condition. I feel that I am prepared for this, but who can tell until it actually happens. My guess is that she will have to have surgery, and therefore will be out of work for an extended period. If so, I have no idea what that means in terms of my sessions. I am anxious.