The cooler weather is perking up the not-so-little-anymore Finnegan…
At six months, her studio apprenticeship is focusing on getting the artiste to stick to a routine. Up at the crack of dawn, feed the pup, climb into the truck and head over to the park for a brisk half hour walk…then home to hose off …
Then it’s time to get to work…
Her new name this week is Runs With Brushes…
When I catch her and get this one back… I WILL get to work.
Already knee deep in July…or is that the corn being knee high by the 4th of July ?
Either way the framing has begun for the Granary Show and here’s a look at our morning excursion to fetch the frames and paintings. We arranged to have the largest paintings done at the same time which meant only one trip up with the trailer. Both the frameshop and the photographer’s studio are within 5 miles of one another and about 20 minutes drive from the studio.
My apprentice was concerned when we hooked up the trailer that she might not be needed for this trip…thus the batting of the big brown eyelashes…
How could I resist one so ready to work…
And off we go… this is the shop I worked at while saving and preparing to give painting my full time attentions.
They are the friendliest and most helpful folks around and make it a true pleasure to work with them…
With the frames loaded it was on to see John…
John Corcoran, the king of the camera, is the man behind the magic that allows me to bring my work to the big and small screen. Every painting goes to him to be shot in multiple formats so that I have a permanent and accurate record of the image. Nothing gets by this detail guy and I am forever grateful for his stunning work, jovial good nature…and steamed dumplings ! You can check out some of his own creations at Sterling Commercial Photography.
He and Pat always have way too much fun…
But time’s a-wasting and we’ve gotta get this show back on the road and home to the studio which is beginning it’s annual pre-show craziness…
My apprentice and my Lackey have just come in to tell me to get off of this machine and get a move on…
stay tuned…
MV show opening 23 days and counting !
When we walked out onto the creekside porch early this morning and saw our shadows … Finnegan and I knew it would be a good day. It has been so wet and steamy for so long and to see blue skies and walk in dry grass…the best.
The sun followed us over to the studio…
and now this can take a rest…
and there’s nothing like sunshine on whiskers…
But there’s no time to waste…the show approacheth and the Finnegan’s job is to get me back to work…
So here we go…a messy kitchen set-up…with supervisor on duty…
We’re in full tilt show-prep mode here in the studio and our young apprentice has been keeping a tight schedule. I’m trying to make up for lost time and get a few more paintings finished and this next one has been rumbling around inside my head since it came to me in a dream last winter. The stars aligned and the rain went away and the model was free so Finnegan gathered the boots and teacups and headed out for the pool early this morning .
As prop assistant, she is in charge of making sure the set up is complete…
I have been using her pool lately for everything but swimming…besides the mosquito factory, it is now a staging pond for spoon blanks that I split a couple days ago and am carving up when there is an extra hour in the day… it’s all Follansbee’s fault… http://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/ …but Finn’s job is to keep me focused and to make any adjustments needed in the setup… like pushing the model a little to the right…
It’s exhausting work, and she’s nudging me off of this machine so she can take an afternoon nap.
I’ve got the panel oiled out and the sketch done so it’s time to lay down some paint… catch ya latah.
A fine morning in the middle of May with friends old and new coming for brunch and to meet little Finn. Tender greens from the garden, a quiche in the oven with market asparagus and home grown herbs, a pitcher of log cabin mint tea, the light and sparkle of Miss Gail’s charming witty reparte, a pot of forget-me-nots from Ronnie’s farmette, gentle reminders to Finnegan that she may not join us at the table, and rounds and rounds of adrenaline releasing laughter… wonderful.
Quite a contrast from the way Finnegan and I began our morning the day before…
This is a bed of Burdock …
…the giant leaves in amongst the weeds and grasses… it is a show stopping vegetation and has tiny purple flowers in mid-summer that resemble thistles…which are pretty when they bloom and a bit of a nuisance when they dry and become these…
Brrrrrrrrrrrssss !
Was never a problem with our big dog Gully as she had learned not to bother the flower beds…but…everything is brand new to our little Finn and when I saw her emerge from underneath those giant green leaves …well there was hardly any puppy showing for all the burrs. No, I did not stop to take a photo of that. The poor dear was not at all happy about the removal process. But while we were struggling and wrestling with the comb and the teeth I made a promise to her that I would not let one more burr find it’s way onto her tender torso.
Soooooooooo…
we decided on a fence… and with money scarce and our supply of twigs and sticks a plenty…we began to gather some woody bits…
This morning we walked down the lane and added more soldiers to the pile but the rains and wind from a passing storm drove us inside…we figure on needing a lot more sticks so hopefully the storm will cooperate and drop a few dozen… meanwhile it’s easel time…
tune in later for more on the fence project…
ta for now,
H and Finn
Three things I have learned…
an orange Croc looks and tastes exactly like an orange dog toy…
when the twigs of a rosemary plant become a chew toy the chewer smells as good as an herb garden…
and the dulcet tones of Suede’s newest album can settle even the ornariest among us…
My apprentice was upset that she could not keep a closer eye on me with the big painting in the way…so I danced through the raindrops to get Drew’s mirror out of the garage…and voila…we’re both much happier…
Look who’s sleeping on the job !