It is as if I had a bungee cord attached to me today. Every time I go down into the studio, some small forgotten chore rockets me out again. It takes a certain amount of courage to return to the painting. Especially after a day like yesterday, where each stroke was a pleasure, each color laid down was either perfect next to its companion, or easily scraped off and corrected. The top two thirds of the face went this way. However, the creases of the mouth, the turn of the lips, the folds and curves of the chin, the shadows of beard, all presented challenges that seem insurmountable.
Today is also difficult because the layer of paint laid down yesterday was sticky and unstable, not easy to slide the next layer over without dislodging what’s underneath, but also impossible to scrape off smoothly.
I am tired. Painting twelve consecutive days is taxing. I didn’t get enough sleep in the last three days, and no exercise. Finally, I decided that going out shopping for food, spending some time with Andrejs, and doing other life affirming activities would be a more healthy choice for this day. The painting and I need to take a break from each other and rest.
