Distractions

I thought that Wednesday was going to be all about getting back to normal. Kids off to school, people back to work... ME back to work.

Instead, I was surprised to find out (or be reminded, I am a teeeeeensy bit scatterbrained sometimes) that my husband actually has the rest of the week off. I admit, I didn't handle that bit of news with grace. Instead, I think I sat there blinking owlishly at him for ten minutes and saying repeatedly "You do? You... have today off? Wait, you do? The whole week? You do? Vacation?"

Not that I don't love spending time with him, because I do. He's my very best friend in the whole world. It's just that I thought all the normal cogs of the year would fall into place on January 2nd. I had a painting percolating in my head that I finally had started in on but couldn't maintain focus with because of all the constant interruptions (teenagers are fun) and "should do's" running through my head. After all, if the family is home mom SHOULD be entertaining them, right?

So, my abstract/surreal will have to wait until I get some alone time. Some non-husband-vacation-time where even sneaking off to write a blog is a trick! Here it sits:

General concept just barely mapped out. Abstracts are a bit more free in their plotting!
This one is an 18x24 canvas - room to play!

And some color. A tiny tiny start. I'm definitely going heavy on the blues in this one instead of the purples that I love so much. It's simply meant to be blue!

I also have a couple of commissions that need to be worked on as well. In particular a concept for a peacock, a fairy, and a key - all together somehow - is in process. It's slowly coming together in my mind. I have figured out that I used to use sketchbooks to figure out how I wanted a composition laid out, but I got better at it inside my head and stopped using the sketchbooks. I somehow managed to create a mental blackboard to work with. Now I don't feel so bad not using my sketchbooks as I used to! I need to start playing with them in new ways, though!

Another reason I wanted to get into my studio is that one of my dogs (we have three) had his leg amputated on Wednesday. Cosmo has bone cancer, and it's only a matter of time. However, in the area of pain management and quality of life, this was necessary.

This is Cosmo this Christmas, having snagged the new Labrador, Lily's bed.

They don't expect Cosmo to live out the year, which weighs heavy on me. I only lost my Labrador, Max, in April.

My studio is therapeutic for me, and it would have been nice to have been painting while waiting for the call from the vet letting us know he did well during his surgery (he did just fine by the way, and we get to take him home in the afternoon on Thursday.)

So that is where things stand, and where I sit; caught between loving the company, surprise vacation time, and a little sadness thrown in for good measure.