A full day glazing 'Masochistic Gaia Toying With Humanity' in the heatwave. Progress was frustrating. I'd hoped for a restful and pleasant day of optionally glazing a painting which was already smooth and well finished - of course this never happens, I find panting an exhausting battle, as fun as an 8-hour arm wrestle). The glazing smoothed things so beautifully that I needed to glaze it all. Each section; flesh, red storm, bone floor, blue sky, fish, was glazed, although the upper blue sky remained as underpainted.
I was unhappy with the results. This painting is unusually lacking in depth - this is the core reason, so it's something of a 'narrative abstract' work, and not representing a three dimensional 'reality', but a two dimensional one. Each part is starkly separate from the other parts too, adding to this sense.
The new Cycle & Shadows CDs arrived as I painted. They look beautiful, and I played one as I painted. This process was a little annoying, as the recent 2024 version is not up to my new standard, particularly and explicitly the vocals in the Shadows part. Perhaps, if I'd have proofed the entire album, I'd have re-made a 2025 remaster; I'd have re-recorded the vocals, as my voice has changed hugely, and balanced the bass on the vocals better. But, of course, yet another remaster is more work and there must be a time when I move on. The aim is to learn by doing, not forever try to 'perfect'. When and if these few CD copies are sold, or in 5 or 10 years, I can remake a third version. My opinions on my vocals aside, the album is excellent, and all aspects of the balancing are hugely better than the first version.
I stopped painting at 5pm, and packaged the new CD versions:
At 8pm I took the painting out and attacked it once more. I painted new eyebrows on the figure, and added an eye and crescent moon to the apocalypse scene, and some lighting to the bent, burnt trees there. These changes improved things markedly.
I'd hoped to do much more today. Onwards to tomorrow with alacrity.
