Friday, July 5, 2013

July

Good grief, it's July!

Sorry that I haven't posted, but the awful truth is that I haven't accomplished anything in the studio at all. My time has been taken up with house and kid projects, and this unrelenting humidity and sticky heat (my next home will have central air. ALL through it, even if they only get one hot day a year! I'm determined! Also, it should have a cleaning fairy.)

I've been looking yearningly at my studio with lots of projects in mind, but instead:

We've made ice cream in a bag:
2 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup half & half (or light cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarse salt or table salt(I used canning salt)

ice
gallon-sized Ziploc bag
pint-sized Ziploc bag

Mix the sugar, half & half and vanilla extract together. Pour into a pint-sized Ziploc baggie. Make sure it seals tightly.

Now take the gallon-sized Ziploc bag and fill it up halfway with ice and pour the salt over the ice. Now place the cream filled bag into the ice filled bag and seal.
Make sure it is sealed tightly and start shaking. Shake for about 5 minutes (or 8 minutes if you use heavy cream.)

Open the gallon-sized bag and check to see if the ice cream is hard, if not keep shaking. Once the ice cream is finished, quickly run the closed pint-sized baggie under cold water to quickly clean the salt off the baggie.

Open the baggie and pop in a spoon.


The onion bud opened to reveal a bunch of itty-bitty buds and I'm waiting for them to open too. I can't tell if it smells like an onion yet.


I set up a hammock on my back deck, all by myself.


I found a robin's nest full of four healthy babies watching me very quietly as I weeded a mulched one of the MANY flower/landscaping beds we worked hard on in the heat. Those feathers look a bit warm, actually. I don't think I could sit that close to my siblings in 92 degree weather and 100% humidity.



I learned that a redhead with a massive sunburn is not a pretty sight. *ahem* Sunblock would have been a novel idea.



I found that the ONLY trade-off for all this horrid humidity is a beautiful sunset. That's it. I can't come up with anything else. You can see the humidity in the picture, which actually makes it look less humid than it did! This is nuts! My yard is a complete stinky mud-pit with water squishing over your shoes!


And that with all the excess rain (and it is in excess, as there have been flash-floods for weeks on end here), the frogs and toads just love it. This one hopped up to my daughter the other night, and instead of a low ribbit as one would expect of such a dignified looking toad, instead he squeaked like a cartoon character:



And I always think of toads as he's. Do you? Maybe this one could be a she... but a toad just seems more suited to be a he. Well, unless I think of my third grade teacher. Then, perhaps, a toad is spot on for a she.

The truth is that I have my big watercolor/acrylic unicorn and fairy piece yet to finish:

You can see how it started off watercolor, and then somehow I got frustrated and ended up going heavy handed and more traditionally acrylic. I think I felt that the watercolor just wasn't coming through bold enough. On the other hand, I rather like that it gives the feeling of some elements being not totally solid, fleeting, while others are harsh and set. Maybe that's the whole point of magic depicted in a painting? Not so far off base after all?

I also have my two smaller pieces, the dragon hatchling twins, and the smaller unicorn, but those I haven't done much with either. I think I'm giving up the time lapse on the two of them in favor of simply getting them done. I'll try another time lapse later. When it's not so hot and the camera isn't so distracting. And then I have my Alice paintings to work on. Next up will be the Queen of Hearts. I have plans for her.

More, however? I want to finish out this series by the end of October. That is my goal, so I can start a new series next year. But I have a LONG way to go. It's time to step up the pace! I may have to set aside my other paintings while I really hammer this out to my satisfaction!

I hope you are all doing well! Are you keeping cool? Has it been blisteringly hot? Raining like crazy? Or have you had wonderful weather, where I will promptly be jealous?


5 comments:

  1. I miss the scenic Vermont views, thanks for sharing! Although I don't miss the hot, sticky summers with no central air. It's been high 90s - 100s here but I have central air so it's not a big deal. I love your paintings and watching the progression.

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  2. I love the look you are achieving with the "fleeting" watercolor and the more substantial acrylic. It is a really good combo. I have been pretty heavy handed with my gouache on a current illustration which is 90% watercolor. That is a feminine froggy for sure, celebrating the humidity no doubt. Us too, heat, rain, humidity. I haven't wanted to garden in weeks because of it.

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  3. You have been busy with your children out of school for the summer, but what lovely memories you are creating. They grow up much too quickly.

    It's been hot and rainy down south too. We've had rain almost everyday now since June 21st (over 12 inches worth) and all our frogs and toads are loving it. The other night there was a full chorus of them chirping, croaking, humming and bellowing ... sounded like there were hundreds of them. The little fellow in your video is sweet and doesn't seem very upset to having been caught and put on camera. :)

    My hubby just checked the humidity report and it's 97% at our SRQ airport.

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  4. I love the toad! He, or she is so cute! I know how you feel about the heat, and the humidity and the rain! We are getting all the same thing! Without air conditioning it's so hard! And, now the water proofing guys are behind, because of the rain too! I'm thinking cool sunny days, please ;o) Pretty please ;o) Gorgeous view of you on the back deck! You should be able to smell onions soon ;o) Those poor robins, I don't know how the animals do it! Your watercolor is looking amazing! Please try to stay cool and no more sun burns!! Take Care ;o)

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  5. I forgot to say, I'm thinking of making some icecream!! ;o) Yummy!!!

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