I did some touchups on Brook Hollow this morning and then worked on 1-10 and Fred. Most of the Brook Hollow painting ended up being the trees that hang over the building, and although I had put sky holes in the trees, I wanted them to be a little brighter than I’d left them yesterday. After I did that I spent a good deal of time putting detail in my urban landscape of 1-10 and Fredericksburg Road. When I work on detail I lose myself in what I’m doing, which is good, but when I step back it doesn’t seem like I’ve done that much. I guess that’s the trade off.
Later today I’ll head to Herweck’s Art Supply and get some archival canvas boards for my commissions, and some new brushes. I met with a client last night and tonight I’ll meet with another one. It would be great if the sun was out, that way I could start those paintings today, but unfortunately it’s overcast. I think I’ll get started today and then finish on a sunny day. Looks like tomorrow will be clear but the rest of the week is supposed to be overcast.
I’m reading a book about characters reading books. It’s pretty cool, especially if you like reading. It’s called The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. It’s a modern day story set outside London about a widower trying to read books so he can bond with his granddaughter, who’s a bookworm. His wife was a big reader but he was never interested until her death. It’s a sweet story and I have to say I’ve never read a book or seen a movie about people who love to read.
In my first novel my character reads The Call of the Wild by Jack London. I originally put it in because it seemed like a 6th grader would be reading something in English class, but as I worked on the book and my story started to develop, I noticed there were similarities between what she was going through and Buck, the dog in The Call of the Wild.
Buck is stolen from his owner and sold as a sled dog in the arctic. The story talks a lot about civilized and uncivilized. It talks about the wildness that’s reclaiming Buck as he is immersed in and uncivilized world. My character is beginning to notice the incivility of her world - of society, of her community, and of her family. She asks her teacher why the world is so mean. To her, this is baffling. She doesn’t understand why people are cruel, insensitive, and harmful.
It was kind of cool to see that connection happen as I was writing. I had originally wanted her to read Where the Red Fern Grows because that’s what I had read in 6th grade, but for some reason I chose The Call of the Wild. “Wild’ also made me think of spiritual. When Buck takes off for the wild it reminds me of someone hitting rock bottom and turning inward for healing and recovery. My main character is telling the reader that things at home are tough and for an informed reader, they will know that at some point in her future, she will need to turn inward for healing too.
It’s cool the role other people’s stories play in ours. I guess that’s the power of storytelling. Are we telling our story, other people’s stories, or universal stories? Or all three? I don’t think writing is the only way to tell stories. As a painter I’m also telling stories. I can remember reading about Andrew Wyeth while I was working on a painting that I wasn’t happy with. Out of nowhere I heard, Finish telling the story. Immediately I knew that the painting needed more detail. It was unfinished and the reason I wasn’t happy with it was because it just seemed to fall flat, like it wasn’t communicating the story I was trying to tell.
My paintings tell the story of home - of houses, of places we see a lot as we drive to and from home, of interiors, of landmarks. I want to connect with neighbors by telling stories of the neighborhood. The series I’m working on now is of a major intersection near my house that I think is going to change soon. It’s already changing. Gentrification is heading our way and I want to tell the story of how it was. I want to give people a way to hang on to the past.