Four things for this week – a book about artists’ paint palettes (oh, yes), a story of ingenuity and a successful failure, doing things afraid, and dining room mural progress. Enjoy…
what I’m reading
As soon as I caught a whiff of this book coming out, I preordered it. The Artist’s Palette seemed to be made for me and it did not disappoint when it finally arrived a couple of weeks ago. I did an initial flip-through and have been reading through it slowly since then. While I love looking at finished works of art, my favorite is when I get to see the work behind the art. I want to see the sketches, notes, pigments, tools, and yes, the palette. I want to get as much of a glimpse of the process as I can and this book gives me that.
If you’re an artist or a lover of art and a paint/color enthusiast, you will love this book.
what I’m watching
Apollo 13: Survival documentary on Netflix. I had it on my watchlist since it came out and I finally convinced Jeff to watch it with me a few weeks ago. He’s not very interested in the space program and, honestly, I’m not really either, but I love the Apollo 13 story. Of course, it would’ve been better if the mission had gone off without a hitch, but the life-threatening challenges presented were met with creativity, ingenuity, and determination. The result was called a “successful failure” and we likely wouldn’t have known much about the mission, crew, and those in mission control if it had simply been a success.
The documentary is made with actual footage, photos, audio, and newsreels. There are no cheesy reenactments, no commentary, and even no interviews from present-day witnesses. It takes you back in time and tells the story in a very authentic way. It’s excellent.
Here is the trailer…
what I’m loving
“Sometimes fear does not subside and one must choose to do it afraid.”
– Elisabeth Elliot
what I’m working on
The dining room mural has been my main focus this week and it’s coming along. I’m working on the “window half” of the room first and that is the half that I anticipate will take the longest since I’m still experimenting with the design and colors. I spent hours on it yesterday and my body let me know I’m not in my 30s any longer! It’s amazing how standing on a ladder, holding a cup of paint in one hand and a brush in the other can make my back hurt, my neck tight, and my arms like noodles. I’m going to work on it a bit more today, but I definitely need to pace myself.
11 Responses
looks like a great start! I’ll be watching the process (holding my breath) for you 🙂 I’m wondering how you will handle “light source” as you circle the room.
Glad you enjoyed the Apollo 13 documentary. My dad was in the Launch Control Center, aka the firing room, for every one of the Apollo and Space Shuttle missions. He retired after 30+ years as a physicist with NASA. Also, love seeing the progress on the dining room mural. I can already tell it’s going to be stunning!
That is SO neat, Holly! Your family must have been so incredibly proud of him.
You must do the thing you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Thanks…I needed both of those quotes, Marian and Jean!
This dining room will be such a work of art!! I am so glad you are taking everyone along with you. You are so creative. And I know what to watch next on Netflix.
Beautiful, amazing and such a wonderful work of art. I pray your family appreciates your talents and skill to create these masterpieces. I am not a talented artist and have lived through yours.
It’s really interesting to me that the outcome so far on the mural looks almost like a complete paint by numbers. I think I was expecting it to look more like lots going on at the same time like an oil painting. Do you think of a mural as different to a painting?
I have become very used to oil paints, so painting with acrylic or latex paint is going to have a different look. I decided to not try to blend and embrace each color holding its own space. For inspiration, I looked to Zuber landscape murals which do have paint-by-number look.
I loved the mural in your Minnesota home, but I find I’m loving this one more. The palette is so soothing and the design more peaceful to me. Thank you for continued inspiration and for generously sharing your ideas with us!
I am loving what you have accomplished so far!!! I can’t wait to see more work in progress and the final completed mural, really really pretty!!!! I’m also loving the color palette.