Sore Back

My back has been sore the last few days and I couldn't figure out why until I realized that I've spent the last week hunched over the kitchen table painting for at least an hour a day. Aw man, that's not fair. I'm enjoying painting and now it has to hurt? Not fair. Maybe I'll just slow down, not stop. Maybe I can paint sitting down? I'll try it.

This morning I went over to the library in DePere to attend a talk on how to be a better writer by Patricia Skalka who writes a mystery series set in Door County. She didn't really say anything I hadn't heard before but she gave vivid examples that really made her points. I took a couple pages of notes and came home to reread them and decide whether I was doing what she said or not. One thing that I don't do is outline the whole book before I start. I'm what they call a "pantser" writing by the seat of my pants, rather than a "planner" which is self-explanatory. I'm not changing. But I'm glad that I went.

I painted trees again today. I figure the more I practice them the better I'll get at them. I'm happiest with this sheet of two trees, foggy trees she calls them because we use a paper towel to blot away the paint where the fog is over the tree. I like these trunks better too because they're more rooted to the ground than the other ones she paints.

 

I also painted Day 2 of the Daily Practice watercolor class. We're still exploring what our materials do. I like the watercolor and acrylic inks. I can't wait to see what we do with them. I could totally sit down for this class. I think the teacher sits for it too.

Here's the goat from yesterday's page in Dr. Seuss's Book of Animals. It's a happy goat. I like it. (and I sit down when I draw)

From Sketching I drew this happy, friendly spider from the page where you were supposed to draw your fears. I decided not to draw another set of stairs. I'm tired of them and I'm sure you are too.

The squirrel was back after the peanuts under the snow this afternoon. The funny thing was that it would root out a peanut, shift it around in its mouth, and then scamper about six feet to bury it in the snow again!

It's supposed to snow a little tonight, maybe an inch, but the southeast part of the state is getting 4-6 inches. So glad that they're getting it and we're not.

My only other accomplishment today was emptying the dishwasher which takes about five minutes. Oh, and I knitted one row of garter stitch on the Wingspan shawl.

--Barbara