Overcame extreme weakness to painted 'Memory Of A Lost Boy' yesterday. After that, a painted colour study for the new 'terror' painting.
Today, lots of practical projects on a day of heatwave. Created a new poster for Deborah's forthcoming poetry book launch:
Then, upgrading the huge corn dolly so that it can stand vertically. I made a wooden block fitted with a tripod nut, this glued to the back of the dolly with wood glue. Then a 90-degree adapter for the tripod to fit into the dolly. Everything took longer because I wanted to try fixing these things with my experimental Paraloid glue. It was too thin, too much acetone, so I evaporated it for a few hours. It tended to form a skin, which is not good for a glue (although, I note that UHU does this). I needed less acetone in the first place. As glue, it is sticky and must be quite strong. It almost seems harder with chalk than without.
I contacted a friend and sold the new Lost Boy painting, instantly spending the money (before the painting is yet finished or dry, though it is mostly complete) on many new paints which have been on my want-list for some time. I note that Blockx now make a 'natural umber' colour; raw umber I presume. This is welcome to me, will it beat my favourite Harding umber? Over the years I've grown to dislike Michael Harding paints. Advertised as buttery they are more like olive-oily, and very yellowing. I wonder when Blockx started to produce natural umber? I've also ordered their Mars Red. I've loved all of their mars colours, and look forwards to trying this one. Perhaps it will be like Venetian, or perhaps Terra Rosa (a more neutral red). I love and use their Light Red a lot. It is notably more scarlet than Winsor and Newton's (theirs is more orange and fleshy, closer to Blockx' Mars Yellow Orange). Blockx' Light Red is also notably weaker in tint than Winsor and Newton's.
I've also designed a CD cupboard for Deborah, it will have Z-fold doors with 'invisible' joins when closed, giving the impressing of a hidden cupboard, and should hold about 420 CDs. The new Cycles & Shadows CDs are due to arrive tomorrow.
