A Challenge Ahead

I have already written that I am disappointed our holidays have come to an end. There is no need to repeat that endlessly, it does not make it more interesting. But the end of the holiday, and back to everyday reality, presented me with a new problem this time. It did not only mean picking up the daily routines, but it also meant that I had to start working again on the large painting I was working on for someone else. The painting has to contain three horses, and although I only had three portrait photos of these horses, I was completely free to come up with the rest of the composition. I started this project enthusiastically and created an entire environment around the horses. But as with many creative processes, it is not always a straight path to the finish.

The Kitchen As A Studio

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome in this whole adventure is my workspace, or rather, the lack thereof. My kitchen serves as my studio, which means that the enormous canvas lies on the kitchen table. This is far from ideal. My working posture is completely miserable; after an hour of painting my back screams for a change of position. This makes the painting progress much slower than I would like.

No Progress Made In The Last Month

This situation became even more complicated when my partner's vacation started. At that time we decided that the kitchen needed to be painted. To do that, the kitchen of course had to be emptied. So the canvas had to be put away in a safe place to prevent it from getting covered in white wall paint. Long story short, since the canvas was safely put away, it has not found its place on the table again. And that automatically means that I have not made any progress with the painting. During the vacation, I did not even think for a second to pick it up. And when my partner left for work on Monday, I did not feel like it either.

Am I Going To Start All Over?

Yesterday I had gathered enough energy to go and get it, and immediately felt the next problem looming. I stood in front of it, I looked at it ... and did not feel "it" anymore. Although the horses look pretty much like they look in the photos I have of them, I had problems with the painted environment. The canvas is still far from finished, but I have no clue now how to proceed. I felt the urge to smear white gesso over the whole thing and start over. When I shared this idea with my partner that evening, he was shocked and asked me if I had gone crazy. Haha! As a result, he has forbidden me to start over again today on impulse. I had to wait a few days, just look at it and then continue next week ...

Skipper Is A Bit Ill

I need to get back into my flow, but I haven't managed that yet this week. The end of the holiday could have lasted a bit longer for me. And to make things even more complicated, our dog Skipper has become a bit ill. He has diarrhea and is not feeling great. He is incredibly calm indoors and outside he is still interested in going for walks, but he hardly eats. It has been like this for a few days now and although I am not very worried, it does affect me. This is the first time I have seen Skipper ill, it's breaking my heart. I don't want my big, strong, happy friend to feel miserable. Hopefully, he'll be back to normal soon.

Time For Weekend!

Luckily it's almost the weekend and we can all recover from the first week after the holidays. Next week will probably be better, at least I hope so. Maybe I'll find my flow again and I can work on the painting with fresh energy. Until then I'll try to stay patient and tackle things step by step. And to get back into a more creative flow I did a simple drawing project outside in the sun ... A combination of a holiday feeling and trying to pick things up slowly again.

Next Week Will Be Better

Life is full of small and big challenges, but it's important not to give up. Sometimes it's just a matter of continuing, even when things aren't going well. I'm looking forward to eventually finishing the painting, and continuing with other projects I have planned to take on. Even though I don't know yet how I will finish this painting, I know it will work out in the end! Until then I'll keep trying, little by little. And most of all I hope Skipper will feel well again soon so I can fully focus on the things I need and want to do again.