Multi-Tasking

Here's another sketch that I did for the the narrative paintings I am currently working on. Layers of paint are being applied to some of the 2ft by 4ft panels and I am tweaking the arrangements of another using photoshop to re-size and place the pieces within the larger frame. As I mentioned before, I work from home and I continually have to balance myself with the home and studio. Amanda and I spent the greater part of Saturday intensely cleaning the entire apartment. I crawled under tables with a the brush attachment of mt dirt devil in hand, sucking up the dust clumps from the Masonite. I sat on the hardwood floor of the studio section of our apartment and fed page by page of bills and other documents until the motor of the shredder whined and grind. The fish tank got fresh water with a new arrangemnt, and Fishy McFisherson swims with more of a swish to it's tail than before. The challenge is, maintaining. Little bits at a time so as not to get buried under it all again. Little breaks during working to make less work later. I find keeping this little section at the corner of our kitchen counter cleared and the stove top whipped down sets a tone for the overall. Our kitchen is uber small and just a few dishes by size comparison seem daunting, but once it gets going, it goes rather fast. Now, if only we could figure out what to do with all of our shoes, between the two of, we have a lot of shoes.

I have recently been working on generating several images to be part of a series of large narrative panels. We carried quartered pieces of masonite several blocks home from the big 'ol corporate hardware store near the Gowanus. The lumber yard just down the block from us has been sporting a for rent sign for some time. Two trips in one week to the location, for unrelated reason. I bought a hoe for a bridal shower earlier in the week. On this trip, I won 5 bucks from my lady sayin' that the alley we were walking towards did in fact come up along side the back of the store. The substrates weren't exactly cut straight, so we pulled the collapsible metal sawhorses out from under the yellow couch and retrieved the skill saw from the op of the closet. It has been a long time since I work with masonite, I forgot how much sawdust is produced. I swept the clumps of brown while Amanda readjusted the guide. Amanda recently took to studioing where she works in Chelsea, so the room we once shared together is all mine. I still have the tendency to take over the apartment when work mode is in full force. The kitchen table was covered with plastic wrap for some time for gesso application. The sawhorses came in handy for another station. I have squares of blue insulation foam with drawings tacked that lean against the bookcase and side table in the living room, and a a large mock-up drawing hangs with magnets on the back of our front door waiting to be transferred after a few more coats of titanium white. Amanda brought home to me a half gallon jug. I am lucky to have such an wonderful girl in my life. The place is a mess, but the pieces are coming along nicely.