I’ve been thinking A LOT about why I’m doing this drawing project and I’m going to subject you to these thoughts whether you like it or not. (I mean, you can skip this, obviously, but I’m apparently somehow working through something and I don’t even know what, so…) I mean, like, one reason is just that I like drawing more than knitting and I’m looking for things to keep me from doomscrolling. But that’s not really what it’s about. Some of it is that I used to be kind of…
Stage One of “whup Friend at the pool” is complete: I have conquered Bike Butt and can now cycle to work/begin taking longer bike rides. I mean, by the time I actually manage to get fit enough to swim AFTER biking to the gym, Friend is going to be swimming two miles a day and it’ll take me months to catch him, but dammit, at least I’ve gotten started! I’ve also put the front and tail lights on the bike, found the biking gloves and the bike lock, and put…
I have – against all odds, IMHO – reached HOUR TWENTY on this project. One fifth of the way done! Perhaps I have a chance of seeing it through! Or not. 80 hours is still a Very Long Way To Go. I’ve been working my way through more basic shapes and shading, moving slowly into one-point perspective. Because I’m determined to do it the hard way, or…honestly, it’s more that I’m trying to LEARN things that I’ve only half-assedly learned in the past, but anyway. Point is, I’m kind of…
Those of you who follow me on Bluesky may have seen that I recently discovered Russian (which is to say, Crimean but it was a Russian territory at the time) painter Ivan Aivazovsky. I may never recover. I don’t think I’ve ever seen water done like he does it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt an artist loved water as much as I feel he must have. It’s so incredible I could vomit. This particular piece is held privately, which is a shame, but there’s a museum in Feodosiya, Ukraine…
I know this will come as a surprise to many of you, but I am somewhat competitive by nature. To wit: I’ve been moaning for years about needing to get back to swimming. Parenting made it hard, and as that’s eased up some, I suffered a shoulder injury which has now been largely dealt with, but have still been faced with the fundamental difficulty of getting to the pool. We don’t own a car, which means walking or biking to the gym and it’s an hour+ walk from home which…