I’ve often thought that engineers and scientists, especially those of the aerospace variety, are the world’s true romantics. Watching the documentary “Good Night Oppy“, about the Mars-rover, Opportunity, confirmed this thought. The engineers and scientists who built and operated Oppy (as they affectionately called her) during her 15 year mission on Mars, came to love her passionately, and were heartbroken when she finally gave up the ghost. I challenge you to watch their final farewell to their dear Oppy with dry eyes.
Sticking with things romantic, my fella caught the dreaded COVID this week. It’s his first time getting it, and he has been a sick bunny indeed. We’re not sure where he got it from, though spending the previous weekend dancing outside Santa’s grotto dressed as a snowman and coming in contact with the town’s child population is the chief suspect. There’s no need to tell you how adorable he was as Ramsey’s dancing snowman, you can see for yourself in the video:
With my fella in quarantine at his house, I spent a solitary week in my studio at the Point of Ayre, working exclusively on the Ann painting (as mentioned in my last post). I am close to finishing it, and as always when the end of a painting like this is in sight, working on it is an irresistible pleasure. When I say close to finishing it, I reckon I’m looking at 2 months if I work on it exclusively, 3 if I work on some of my other projects as well. The latter is preferable, though it will be hard to tear myself away from Ann.
Because working on a painting like Ann is meditative, and therefore conducive to thinking through creative ideas, and due to the emotional turmoil of our current family crisis, as well as the added solitude, and, who knows, perhaps even the presence of the full moon, I was thrilled to find myself in a state of super-charged creativity, so I took the opportunity to think through and (imaginatively) resolve major aspects of my next (Ann-like) painting. I say imaginatively resolve, as I am yet test out my ideas to see if they will work; even so, it is an exciting step forward.
I reached another milestone this week – I have completed my first term of art school. It’s hard to believe how fast it has gone. Although I am effectively on holiday, there are a number of art opportunities in the New Year that I would like to make the most of, so I have a lot of work to do between now the resumption of classes in mid-January.
I had some interesting classes for my final week, including one in which I learnt how to code. I doubt Microsoft will be headhunting me anytime soon, however, I did manage to ask the computer to draw a face and some squiggly lines.
And in another class about sensory access to the imagination, I painted while listening to Spanish poetry – an exercise I thoroughly enjoyed.
bexODESSA 