Okay...
Fbg at 3:20 am is 7.1
when I went to make a cuppa early yesterday evening, I came back to the couch to find a totally fast asleep cat, Popeye, between my Berber fleece blankets. I wasn't going to disturb him, and so I took myself off to bed, expecting Popeye to rouse himself (he usually does when he realises I have gone to another location) and come and settle n the bed. But he didn't. So that was me waking up every couple of hours to check he was okay. He always seems to be awake normally, literally checking on me.
3am I went and checked on him again. He was definitely breathing (he is old, though doesn't act or look it, 28 in May he will be). Went back to bed, and moments later someone is mithering me, patting my face with his paw. So, we go off to the kitchen because he probably wants to use the cat tray after such a sound sleep (the kitchen door is always kept shut at night, I do shut all doors at night for fire safety, but if Popeye has decided to sleep in another room, then I leave interconnecting door open so he can reach me.
So, I am up very early painting...
This morning I tried doing two paintings at once. They are on totally different papers. One is the A5 sketch book I am using which is a mixed media paper. The other is a blank white index card.
The mixed media paper absorbs the watercolour paints and they look more hazy, which is a great effect for some subjects. The index card is not absorbent, the watercolours sit more on the surface, making the painting a little darker (which is what I was aiming for), and because of the nature of the index card (not meant for painting on) I cannot work into the painting in the same way as I do with the mixed media paper. But that is fine, I just have to find ways of working round it to get the effects I want.
The reason I am going small is because I belong to Postcrossing where random strangers send random strangers a picture postcard. The site issues you with an address. More people are asking for a handmade card on their bio. And I would like to do that. But send a painting. The painting will have to be postcard sized. And the reason why I am doing it on index card is so that I can glue it on a conventional postcard so I can post it. Some people still want you to send the postcard as a conventional postcard, others want you to put it in an envelope to protect it.
Anyway, over the last month, I have mailed myself a few of my paintings literally exposed on the postcard. They were pasted on to the postcard. I wanted to see if it was feasible without damage. To test it further, I out it in a postbox exposed to the elements on a Saturday, and it wouldn't get collected until the Monday afternoon. Each postcard survived out postal system intact and no damage at all to the exposed painting. One was a minimalist acrylic painting of Mount Fuji, another was a Chinese black ink drawing, the third was a collage of my painting to create something different...so it is feasible. I do have loads of ideas, far too many...I used to think ideas would run out, but they don't, ideas are unlimitless...they are are bottomless pit...
Top one is sketch book. Bottom one is index card.
I will do this for a few days, two a day to see how it goes.
Now to get started with the day...I have some work I promised to do for someone...
Have fun
Take care
Hugs if you would like some...
