Maxim of the Week

Doris loved dressing up to go to the opera.

Maxim:

One must keep up appearances.

Maxim of the Week

Muk-ji loved the cracking sound his back made when he did the spine twist during his outdoor morning yoga sessions.

Maxim:

Let him twist slowly, slowly in the wind.

This is the latest canvas that I've finished in my Calabrian Series.  It's different to the previous ones in that the motif is boats rather than buildings.  Also, there are more images than in the others, which made it very busy (not to mention the wild fabric) and much more challenging to integrate into a cohesive whole. 

This is the state the painting was in when I arrived home from my trip out to BC.  I'd been working on it just prior to my departure and wasn't quite sure whether or not it was finished.  I rather liked it at this stage, but when I returned, I felt it was just a bit too "collagie" and not enough "painterly."  Plus, it was just too different from the rest of the series.

This is where the composition began.  See what I mean about "busy"?! 

So with the completiton of this painting, I'm now back to Square 0 as I have no more fabric collages or photo transfers prepared.  In fact, I was rather dismayed when I checked my fabric-scraps stash and discovered I'd radically cleaned it out before I left for Vancouver.  What was I thinking?  I admit, I'm having trouble getting back in the creative groove.  It usually takes me a bit of time to get back in the "zone."  As we're heading off to Montreal next week, I think I'd better content myself with just puttering in my studio. 

Please bear with me!

Maddi loved inventing new ways to get around.

Maxim:

A rolling stone gathers no moss.