Giving in to the Temptation of Mediocrity

Painting on anything

purse

This is a purse on which I am currently working. I haven't painted on fabric in awhile, but I have been wanting to get back into it for years.
Back in the day, when I was super jazzed about painting and making stuff, I painted on EVERYTHING. Shoes, jackets, pants, bags, T-shirts...and that was just the wearable items. I painted a great pair of green satin pumps for Susan. I painted a fabulous flight jacket with quoted song lyrics and a replica of the Art Poseur logo that was pilphered by a certain someone. I painted a giant sun on Todd's dining room wall, which looked great until Rob-o painted a very unpleasant cartoon with the caption (if I am recalling correctly) "Where's all the white women?" Totally ruined the nature good times vibe, not to mention that Todd was completely pissed off and wanted to kill Rob-o.

I can't draw a straight line with a ruler

Today I am painting in a flannel granny night gown and black jungle boots.
I shouldn't have to say anything more than that, but I will.
I'm not making an artistic statement by wearing this ensemble. I'm wearing the night gown because I like hanging around the house in my night gown on Saturdays, sometimes. I'm wearing the jungle boots because I am trying to break them in so I don't get blisters. Simple explanation.

About that straight line...
The line is straight but I can NOT get a line to be straight on a page or canvas...no matter what trick I use. I am trying to paint a canvas right now that has a horizon line and several straight lines that should run juxtaposed to that line. Every line I make angles in some direction or the other, ever so slightly. Slightly enough to drive me crazy. It's very exasperating. I have tried the ruler, the connect the dot method, using another canvas as a guide. I really want this line to run straight across the canvas with no skewing. Maybe I should get some of that blue snap twine construction workers and carpenter types use, I haven't tried that method yet.

The Lake Knife

The Lake Knife

Mixed Media on wood panel.

Painting in my Kitchen

I am a painter. I don't say artist because that somehow sounds like I think I'm special or something because I throw paint on a canvas. I have no place to get down and dirty with my paintings right now, so I paint in my kitchen. Usually in the sink. I don't want to run the risk of getting paint on the white carpets in this apartment. Yeah, I said WHITE. It's hard enough getting the cat barf and red wine out of the carpet, I do not want to think about acrylic paint...
Since moving to Canada, my paintings have changed a bit. Probably because I was forced to paint in a fashion and medium I was unaccustomed (gouache on paper for awhile), but also because I feel different in Canada. I feel pretty good for a change. I finally live in a place I like.