Two of the string paintings are done and others are still on
the way. It has been a very Stop –Start business as art time has been constrained
by a myriad of other duties imposing themselves on my life. I use quite thin
oil paint and like to mix up small tubs, which will last up to two weeks if
sealed when not in use, of the colours I will need. The paint does eventually
go thick and sticky and I have to start the process again. When there are too
few art days in the week to warrant paint mixing for the canvases, I work on
other things.
The latest task has been to finish cutting a lino plate,
which is very fiddly and painful and has been on the go for several months. Out
came the trusty, rather grubby and slightly leaky hot water bottle again. I
have tried putting the plates out in the sun on hot days but they just don’t
stay hot for long enough for me, so the hot water bottle it is. I can get
almost an hour out of that.
