Five Days Later…
This page follows the one I posted on June 14, Things Worth Noting. A lot is going on in my life, which has made it hard to find time for art. I started this more than a week ago and I can hardly keep up– the daisies are now open; the iris unfurled; my son is leaving again. I need to paint faster!
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Drawn In 
(Or paint slower….?!) I love that light wash in the background, and your composition across the two pages. Despite all the upheaval, you’re still centered in your painting. When things get stressful, just close your eyes and envision this.
Very insightful! I think the key is perhaps just to keep painting. It doesn’t matter if it takes me a week to finish a page, as long as I keep those pages turning. The journal is what helps to keep me centered.
Jean: I didn’t see you at graduation- congratulations! Ben had a great speech- I’m sure you and Dan are very proud. Love your journals- keep writing them! Martha
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Thanks Martha! I’ll keep at it– and will appreciate staying connected with you this way.
Jean it doesn’t matter how long, just that you keep it in your heart and mind with your paint box not far behind. Re- reading this, I had no intention of rhyming !
You do have a way with greens that I find very alluring, dream like and translucent.
You are being thought of often through your next adventure. Xo
Hi Cindy- There are 3 to 4 layers of green on these plants, plus a little bit of pale purple. I probably could get away with two layers because I run the risk of losing the translucence, but sometimes I want more variety than I paint on the first pass. I’ve recently added Hansa Yellow Medium to my palette and I like it for mixing greens. Much more transparent than cadmium yellow. Cheers! –J
It is a good way to keep things centered when all else is chaos. Years from now you will see these pages in an entirely different way.
It will be good to look back years from now! I expect to be in a very different place.
Jean,
Just finally really reading past e-mails. My goodness you have an overloaded summer coming up, particularly with the sale of the house and a new job for Dan, not to mention being Director of Arts of Birding!!! I hope all of these things are good and you are keeping your sanity. As always, your drawings and journal entries capture even bad things in a beautiful way, e.g., “mom falls 3 times in two weeks”
As I’ve said many times before, you and your art are an inspiration – you’re not forgetting the small things that bring us joy during some of the most hectic times is another reminder that all is not as bad as it seems sometimes.
All is well here – am enjoying the wild daisies and buttercups, the hum of bees in the vetch and meadow, and the discovery of tiny butterflies that flutter by in silence and inhaling great gulps of meadow perfume…….
Juanita
Juanita Roushdy President Friends of Hog Island P.O. Box 242 Bremen, ME 04551 http://www.fohi.org 207-529-2355 910-233-8548 (cell)
Friends of Hog Island – Promises made; promises kept.
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