Flinders 12.7x17.8cm acrylic on canvas board
Approaching Storm, Franklin Road 12.7x17.8cm acrylic on canvas board
Sphinx Rock 12.7x17.8cm acrylic on canvas board
Holidays...ahhh, remember them? We have just returned from one. Oddly enough, we went 'home' for our holiday - is that an oxymoron? It was delightful to be able to go outside again without breaking into a sweat just standing still. In fact we relished the sweet fresh air as the doors parted at Melbourne Airport (that definately has to be an oxymoron). Our driver apologised for the heat of the car, left sitting in the sun, while we loaded our bags and strapped the children in.
"Oh no, this is not hot", although I did notice a trickle of sweat running from his temple as he drove us away. "Oh," I thought "Maybe it is hot".
I think I managed to achieve most things on my holiday wish-list. Shopping: check, facial: check, painting on a beach without children: two out of three. Can you guess which ones? The day I painted 'Approaching Storm, Franklin Road' was hot. So hot in fact that my paint was drying in the palette before I could put it on the board. It was hot, I was tired, I had two children and a husband to keep an eye on, and the storm was approaching, although didn't reach us for several hours after the painting. Actually, it looks nothing like an approaching storm. It looks like a calm, still day. After I had finished and was in the process of packing to leave my daughter saw it and cried,
"Mummy, that's beautiful"
"It's a bit of a mess actually"
"No, it's really beautiful"
"Thank you"
I can't argue with a five year old, and I might as well take the compliment I thought, although I still believe it is a terrible painting.
So we have returned 'home' to the heat, although it is cooler at night and in the mornings, and my enthusiasm for painting has waned. Remember the Pretty Pool Creek painting destined for the gallery, only several weeks away from completion? Nothing. I feel tired just looking at it. I am guessing it will return, that spark, but for now painting is a chore. (That absolutely is an oxymoron).
