Having slept through my hangover (many of you don’t know, but I had one of my rare intoxication events last night), I am now working on this portrait that has been rattling around in my head all week. As I type this, my reference photos are printing out. Next they get taped above my art table, and then the puttering around in the kitchen stage begins. The puttering stage … very important. I’d liken it to stage fright. A certain amount of milling around in the kitchen, looking at the blank canvas and any reference images is required before I even get out the paints and brushes, and then a bit more before I am able to open the tubes and put paint on canvas. Since this is a portrait, the first I have ever attempted, I might add, there might even have to be a period of sketching on paper first and actual pencil lines put on the canvas. In other words, don’t expect to see any immediate results.

I’m actually not sure what direction I am going to take with it, but you can be sure it will not be photorealism. Just not my style. Though seeing as I have never done a painting of a person that actually exists before, I have no idea what my portraiture style is. I guess we will find out, won’t we? It will either turn out to be phenomenally cool or a total failure. Whichever it is, it will still be a painting.

I need (and want) to do more painting. It’s a hard thing to do during the winter, not so much due to the lack of lighting, since I do most of my painting at night anyway, but because it’s so freaking cold in the house. I can’t paint while wearing layers of clothing (and still feeling cold). Nope. I have to wear a ratty old tee shirt with the sleeves cut out and a tattered old pair of baggy jeans. Being barefoot is essential, as is the hair pulled back into a pony tail. Mostly nude would really work the best, but owing to the fact that a) my art table is right by a window that has no curtains for shades and b) I have neighbors who do not need to see me sans clothing, that is hardly an option. Basically, I need to be comfortable, have ease of movement, and I must be warm … in fact, the warmer the room the better, which is why I now have the furnace cranked to a level Lin would have a fit about if he knew. I can’t have the furnace on while I am painting, as much as I would like to. My art table sites directly under a vent that can’t be closed, and it dries out the paint too quickly. Acrylics dry fast enough without hot air blowing directly on them. Sometimes I think I need to switch to oils so I can dabble away and take my time with things. Maybe this summer, when having a warm house isn’t so difficult, I’ll buy a small set of oils and give them a try.

My reference photos are finished printing, and the house is starting to warm up. It must be time to move to the kitchen and begin milling about … right after I run the kittens around the house to wear them out a little. They are having another one of their Insane Kitten Days today, and they are about to drive me stark raving mad getting into stuff … like the top of the TV and the bedroom closet. Little monsters! Talk about a distraction!