Today was the day I finally got back to my studio. This was one of those weeks where I didn’t have much time to devote to painting, despite the fact that every day, my brain kept telling me “I want to paint!”
What kept me out of the studio? A lot of running around, but mostly babysitting the grandgirls. They are getting very big indeed! Why is it that they are getting older, and I’m not? I do feel young, though there are days when it feels like my age is catching up with me!
The girls are a goofy kind of funny, almost always laughing, and you never know what they’re up to. One day this week, Bop-Bop decided to surprise them with a special treat and brought them donuts. They were very happy to express their excitement while posing for a photo.
So, as far as the painting goes, I am up to my eyeballs in windows… lots and lots of windows, everywhere you look! Similar to the Horne’s building in “A Holiday Tradition,” the new Gimbels painting is mostly just windows until you get to street level. Years ago while I was working on that painting, I was also dealing with the challenge of painting dozens of windows.
Back in the day though, I had my dad. My parents lived on the other side of the state where I grew up, but occasionally they would surprise me and come visit. I was driving myself crazy with all the windows, and my dad – God bless his soul – would sit in my studio and play his accordion while I worked through each row. It had a soothing effect on me, and I was able to paint all of those windows without tearing my hair out. As you can see in this photo, it also had a soothing effect on my girls when they were young!
I have such happy memories of my dad playing the accordion, and he’s on my mind now while I’m working on this painting. So this time around, I’m actually enjoying painting all those windows. It feels like getting together with an old friend.
Here’s the latest update on the progress of my Gimbels painting. I had fun painting in the sign and its reflected light on the wall. I also set the clock to the time right after work when it’s getting dark in the Holiday season. If all goes well, by this time next week, I’ll have more than just windows to show you.
Wish me luck… and thank you to all of you who have shared stories! Keep ’em coming!
PS – If you were wondering, I’m left-handed, and my medium is soft pastel chalks, so that’s why I always paint from right to left and from top to bottom!