Sepia

I Just discovered sepia by Daniel Smith. What a deep, dark and lovely color. I barely need any other colors when I use it since it has so much depth.

Tiny Landscapes Series

My most recent series called "Tiny Landscapes" is keeping me very inspired. I have tried to make landscapes using photographs but the best ones seem to be the ones where I just let the flowing paint dictate the landscape. I have started to number them because I think that there are going to be quite a few of them as was in my Florilegium series. This one is Number 23 in the series.

Tiny Landscapes

One thing I have been doing a lot of is painting small postcard sized landscapes. I am taking a lovely class with Kateri Ewing It has helped me get out of my head for a bit anyway. Mostly it is about abstract art making but as usual I can never be totally abstract and everything ends up being either a landscape or a floral. Oh well. That's just me I guess.

Summer in the Desert

It has been really hot here with very little rain. I am hoping to leave this place soon for good. But for now I am rather stuck here. We go back east for a visit in August and will be meeting hopefully with a realtor to find a place to live. We were hoping to find a place in Amherst but they don't have a lot of housing stock there. The houses are either out of our price range or dilapidated wrecks with nothing much in between. Down towards the cape where my son lives is very nice but way out of our budget I am afraid. Housing has become so unaffordable these days it is hard to imagine really. I am going to try and stay positive. I have a very good friend back in Amherst who has offered to go look at places for me. We have known each other since high school and it would make both of us so happy to be able to live near one another. Like when we were kids! Anyway, as a result of all my house hunting on Zillow I have not been making much art. It is hard to concentrate with all this going on. Normally we would just sell our place here and go rent back east until we find something but the rents are astronomical! We would spend all our money on rent with nothing left to buy a place. Thats it. That is all I've got for now.

Fourth of July in Tucson

The Fourth of July here in Tucson is pretty boring. It is too hot to go outside and enjoy anything and fireworks are quite limited due to the high fire danger. Oh well.....just another day. I can't look at Facebook because everyone I know is either at the beach or somewhere where they can be outside enjoying BBQs and fireworks. Here I sit. I did do something positive today for my situation. I booked a stay at the beach near my son for the entire month of November. I will finally be able to have a real Thanksgiving with them. I was very lucky last year to be able to have Thanksgiving with my grandson and all his fellow soldiers at Fort Huachuca. That was very special. But other than that not many holidays get celebrated out here. That is what happens when you move too far away from your family. I think I had one Thanksgiving here with my neighbors maybe back in 2018 or so. I did have a New Years Eve dinner last year with some friends who are snowbirds when they had just arrived plus my grandson was here on Army leave. So it is not all bad......just a little depressing whenever there is a holiday and I am not with family. Those are my worst days.

Classes and Such.....

While biding my time here and trying to figure out next steps, I have never stopped painting for one minute. I take a lot of classes although during the pandemic when they were all online it was easier to do that. Now it seems everyone is offering workshops and classes in very expensive and exotic locations. I have no desire to schlep all over the world for a five day class. So I am taking a lot of classes on Skillshare and occasionally I find classes elsewhere especially when surfing on Instagram. Plus there are many ongoing challenges to become involved in though I have not frequented as many as I should. I lose interest after a while. I think that may have to do with my sadness over being where I no longer want to be. Homesickness is hard to deal with and it comes on quite suddenly. I try to stay grateful for what I do have but it is not easy.

Holidays

It is the Fourth of July holiday weekend. All my friends and family back east are celebrating with BBQs and trips to the beach. And here I sit, yet again missing another holiday with my family. I never realized how much I miss that until I moved out here to Arizona and miss every single important holiday with friends and family. I really need to go home. Soon.