Odd Dream

Remember children, if you steal where you land, you’ll never get far.

Such an odd thing to say… last spoken line in a movie-like dream.

It was an odd dream, like watching child versions of myself and an old friend from afar. We were playing in the shallow end of a pool on a warm day, with sunlight dancing off the water. The speaker was woman dressed in a 1950’s bathing suit. We were young and she was minding us. Then the dream flipped to the end scene in the movie, shot in the same location at a later time. All three of us appear to be sleeping, still in our bathing suits, still in the water. We are sitting together, leaning on each other, with our heads tilted different ways. For a moment, I’m confused because it is snowing. Are we sleeping? Are we dead? Are we under the water? No, there is snow on our heads and shoulders, snow dusting the thin layer of ice on the water. We look transparent in the blur of swirling snow, as if faded shells of ourselves. Then Rodney’s shell breaks and there is nothing there. He’s gone.

I woke up wondering who she was, definitely not my mother and too thin to be his… but, I don’t know what she looked like then as we did not know each other as children. Then I wondered if he died. He always vanishes, one way or another, just before I wake up from a haunting dream. Why he still sneaks into my dreams now and then is beyond me… we haven’t spoke one word in over five years. When was the last time I saw him? 2005? Why use the land instead rhyming far with are? “If you steal where you are, you’ll never get far” would be easier for children to remember.

The whole thing is odd… bit bizarre, as we’re not thieves.

I don’t steal because my experience of being wrongfully accused of stealing as a young child got drilled deep into my soul. I got whooped, had to apologize and everything, so humiliated over a stupid little Santa soap. Aunt Donna had a whole dish full of personal use size novelty soaps. She told me that I could keep the one I had used. I asked if I could take it home and she said YES, but she sure as hell didn’t have my back when mother marched me over there to return it. Maybe that’s why I have a hard time asking anyone for anything… to this day, I’d rather not.

On another note…

The women’s art show scheduled for this summer will be a “virtual” event, details to come… not sure if they intend to hang it or just post images sent with entries online somewhere. I hope not, mainly because photos for my entries were snapped with an old cell phone camera and they’re not the best… here’s a comparison.

Opportunity, snapped with old cell phone camera.

Opportunity, quick snap with new phone’s camera.

Maybe just my opinion, but the colors look dulled in the submitted photo. Maybe it is just my eyes… cropped images look flat. They lack the depth of background, shadows on walls and such, so I’m hoping they hang the art and do a virtual tour with a video camera.

Odds are, Opportunity won’t be accepted anyway. I just want to get my fave piece in… that’s My Aura. If you want to see it, it’s on Mice4Mars.com (my relatively new art blog). It’s a WordPress blog, recently upgraded to a paid plan to go “ad-free” as I really do NOT want ads for flabby arm ointment or political bull stuck in between art photos. Someday, this blog will be ad-free, too. I’m waiting a bit to stagger the annual renewals so the payments won’t hit the bank at the same time.

Thanks for reading… peace be with you, wherever you land.

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Varnish

Here’s an art question for ya… varnish, yes or no?

Now that I’m playing with acrylic paint again, exploring pour techniques and using additives and what not, I’m wondering if it is necessary.

Like this piece, for instance. It’s not the best photo… light washed on the metallic sheen, too. Here’s a closeup of the surface.

There’s some texture going on, teeny tiny nooks and crannies for dust and dirt to settle… but then, brush strokes on a traditional acrylic painting also leaves tiny places for dust to cling. And “they” do make a pour-on varnish now, specifically sold for fluid acrylic paintings. It’s supposed to leave a smooth, high gloss surface, almost like an epoxy. Should I try it?

Tell you true, my only regret in art is varnish.

Why? Because varnish has failed the test of time. I’m old, so I have some old art, original favorites that have hung on my walls since the 1980’s and 90’s. Some were varnished, some were not, and now I wish I never did. Those that were varnished have lost a vibrancy. The colors have dulled. It’s almost as if there is a thin dirty film over the paintings that cannot be washed off.

Yes, I wash my paintings. I wash baskets, too. Large paintings go into the shower ye once a year or so for a gentle wash down (not a soak) with a soft sponge dipped in a mild dish soap (usually Ivory) diluted in lukewarm water, followed by a gentle rinse with a hand held shower head front and back, tilted so the water drains off… wetting the back tightens the canvas and the wood needs it, just like a basket. And, just like a basket, let it dry slow in the shade… away from direct sunlight.

Acrylic is a polymer, polymers are plastics… traditional acrylic paintings don’t really need varnished, in my opinion. But, fluid acrylics are not the same… we’re playing chemistry, mixing paint with flow mediums, some made of glue, adding drops of various oils (most use silicone, I’ve tried a fine gun oil, some people use hair products, some kind of hair oil) and heat is sometimes applied. How does this change the composition of the paint film? Does it need sealed with a varnish? Will it pass the test of time?

Odds are, I don’t have 20 years of life left in me. I’m not going to be around to see the results of any long term testing.

So, what’s the school of thought here? Yes or no? Has anyone been doing fluid paintings long enough to observe a difference between work that has been varnished as compared to not?

Thanks for reading!

Opportunity

Opportunity, 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2019

Art for breakfast works for me…. get up early, ye 5 AM, whenever cats want in or out, put on some coffee and head to the studio. It’s a good way to start the day. The art is a bit chaotic, mostly salvaged failed pours, the result of exploring various techniques with inadequate skills, then bumping rules to come back in and do whatever. Oh well… welcome to the flip side of Nancy.

Thanks for reading!