No Pictures Today

I got two new art technique books today, then came home to find the Blick Studio Spring Sale Catalog in the mail...which has provided excellent fodder for my day dreaming. I am such a gadget gal...I am just crazy for the tools of the trade and now that I have a new hobby, I am in acquisition mode. I bought several Kolinsky Sable paint brushes on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It was a quick and relatively painless way to start my collection. I also have been using those 40% off coupons to get the more expensive items.

There are just so many wonderful things in the Dick Blick catalog. I am ashamed to admit that I have been eyeing the BEST Shawn's Watercolor Station, but I know it is overkill at this point in my life. Of course the fact that it matches my easel and would solve my space problem in the dining room has been fueling my desire. I am also really enthusiastic about the Drafting Table Easel. If I did not have a giant Santa Fe Studio easel already, this would have been perfect for me. I think I have slipped a cog, because I almost was really eyeing that French Easel for Plein Air work. Which would be okay if I had done more than ONE plein air watercolor. It is a Peace Family trait to jump in headlong, without stopping to test the water or gauge its depth. Of course, with a bipolar parent in the tree, it is hard to tell if that trait is behavioral or characterological.

I spent last night organizing my supplies and trying to bring some sort of order into the chaos that I call home. It was time to round up all of the things from my different classes and find a place to store them long term. I think I have put the easel in a good spot for now. I simply refuse to take it upstairs to the needlework studio until I am no longer working with oils! I can't believe how messy oil painting can be. I finally found what had brushed against my canvas from last Tuesday's class, it was one of my larger orchids. I finally noticed the pink and white paint on the leaves last night.

And now for something completely different...

Although it has only been two weeks, I am actually doing well in my commitment to getting back into shape. I made it to the gym four days both weeks. I started swimming for half an hour, but built back up to a full hour by last Friday. Even with a sore rotator cuff on Monday, I held myself accountable and swam anyway. Luckily it proved to be a temporary problem. So I am swimming laps for an hour, three times a week and riding the stationary bike for 20-30 minutes and doing floor work the other day. It seems like a good schedule for now. In a few weeks, I will probably add in weight training. The gym has Cybex equipment in the Women's locker room, so I might start there. It just seems more private, therefore less embarrassing. I just hope I can maintain this level of enthusiasm.

I used to be a gym rat, but for most of the last five years I have been a real couch potato! It was strange to unpack all of my gym clothes and see those cute little outfits I used to wear, including zip up hip hugger shorts and tank tops. There was even a patriotic two piece bathing suit that my husband bought for me at a place on the Gulf Coast that was washed away by Hurricane Katrina's storm surge. Luckily, I never got rid of the size XL stuff, because I am sure using it now. I packed away the cute stuff and stuck it under the bed. Maybe by this time next year I will be in a better position to know whether or not I will ever get to wear it again.