Oily

Oil is a good soothing happy medium for me. How I've missed it. Only, I didn't realize how much I love and miss the stuff until this past weekend. I have been opting for acrylics lately, because they dry quickly, and well, they aren't as toxic. And I've decided that the clean-up is easier when you just have to rinse out your brushes and pour your dirty water down the drain rather than the multiple steps it takes to properly clean up after a session with oils.

But this weekend when I went on a trip, I packed up my oils by mistake. (I recently reorganized my art supplies and got my tackle-boxes confused.) The mood struck and I wanted to paint, but I didn't have what I wanted. I wanted to finish some acrylics I'd been working on, and some that were only sketched out so far. I wanted to be neat and tidy and I didn't want to bring out the Turpenoid or my Liquin.

I now think that rather than being a total accident, life simply had other plans for me. I didn't get what I wanted but what I needed.

I pulled out several colors, and therapeutically mixed them. I just love, LOVE mixing colors. I have a whole method to it, and it so relaxing for me.

Getting my colors ready set the stage for me to start on a couple of blank masonite panels.

I painted wild and loose and had fun with my oils. I used colors I normally shy away from for the first one (yellows, grays, and black) and pale creams, skin tones and reds on the second one. So far I just have some nice abstract shapes, vibrant colors, and tone variations going on, but I hope to get some more accomplished on those panels soon. I didn't pack my Cobalt drier, so I'm going to have to wait a few days.

Something else that I thought was totally awesome is that I was painting in the same room as my friend, who was on the computer, and I got no complaints from him on the smells. How lovely. The fumes and odors that oil painting are associated with is too much for most people, but my friend didn't even so much as comment on it. I think I'll keep him around.

* I'll post pictures soon, once I get my own internet again and don't have to use the library.