The Good Old Days

I felt like I had gone back in time.  I was washing dishes.  Nothing to remarkable about that, but I was heating the water on the stove and washing in a pan.  Yes, the dishwasher went out!  The hot water was turned off at the sink so I had to heat the water on the stove or carry it from a bathroom.  Luckily it appears to be the heating element and can be repaired and won't have to spend $500 or so for a new one.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Should be fixed in a few days.

It reminded me of the good old days when we washed dishes in pans and heated water on a wood stove.  I think about how spoiled we are and how many things we take for granted.  This relates to art as well.  As lazy as I am, I imagine I would not be painting as much if I had to prepare canvases, paper and boards by hand.  I have made pastel surfaces with pumice and acrylic medium, but that was for fun.  Think about when oil painters had to carry their paint in glass bottles.  Not too much fun.

Looking around my studio at all the time savers and helpers I have.  Clips, tape that doesn't stick permanently, ink pens that hold their own ink, pastels all rolled for me in different degrees of hardness, and the list goes on and on.  I have a metal easel and a wooden easel in my studio.  I also have a portable easel or two.  I can oil paint with no strong oder and clean up with soap and water.

When I want daylight in my studio, presto -- just turn on my daylight lamp!  No candles and kerosene lamp found here!

And don't even talk about sketching.  I can sketch on my computer, iPad and iPhone.  Photography is instant.  When I want to check my painting I can take a photo of it or scan it into my computer and see what it needs to look better and then make corrections. 

I can make videos and "how to" tutorials to print out.  I can watch all the videos about painting that I want.  I can communicate with friends and artists and get instant feedback on my work or just visit by phone or messages.  We can fly off  across the country in just a few hours.

Still, I never have enough time!  Frances, my mother-in-law, used to say that all these time savers didn't seem to save time.  In the "old days" when she washed clothes by hand, made bread, butchered, and all the rest of housekeeping chores they still had time to go visit friends and family on Sundays.  We rarely just go visit anyone.  Maybe I just don't budget my time well. 

I'll be back to show you a couple of new paintings.  In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying our modern conveniences and making good use of your time!