Octopus in the light

The day started early, 4:30 am to be exact!

This was so we could walk the beach for turtles at Orange Beach, Alabama.

We got to the beach at about 5:30 and had a wonderful time walking.

Unfortunately, there were no crawls this morning.

Our last walk for the year.

Sigh!

I spent a lot of time in the studio today just painting canvases white. The backgrounds on my sepias are white Liquitex soft body acrylic that I purchase by the gallon. 

I buy the gallon just simply to make it last longer, because I don't want to spend my art time running to the store. I store a small amount in a ziplock container that keeps the air out. 

This allows me to pour out what I need, closing the gallon quickly.

If you don't use it quick enough though, it will go bad on you. 

This means it will smell awful, or get super gloppy and gooey. 

There is almost nothing that will bring back acrylic paint that has gone south. 

Make sure you have the lid closed tightly, after all you spent a small fortune on that gallon of paint!

I also went to teach a class this afternoon with my girlfriend, Linda Scott. We have a great time teaching together, helping people to create fun works of art! This class was in Foley, about 30 mins from my home in Fairhope, Alabama. The class took about 4 hours out of the day, but was a delightful time spent with a good friend and a fun time was had by all. 

I then came home to a short nap, a quickly cooked dinner of shrimp and salad.

Then back to the studio to paint.

Or at least, to try to fix the computer.

Wait computer,What?

Last night we had a terrific thunderstorm move through our area. 

It struck extremely close and took out our power.

What I did not know, was that my monitor and speakers also received a blow.

Anyone who knows me, knows two things about me.

One, I am much better with a brush than a computer!

Two, I try to be a good steward with my money. 

This morning when I came to the studio to work, there were no working speakers, (so no Pandora!) and my monitor went into shut down mode when I tried to turn it on. I was beyond upset, the last time I managed to earn extra money, I had to buy a new printer.

Now it seemed I might have to  spring for  a new monitor and speakers.

I finished the day with teaching and dinner then headed to the studio to paint.

I thought about the computer and became resolute in trying to fix the problem. I removed the laptop from it's docking station and starting untangling wires and checking connections. After 30 minutes of frustration that I admittedly don't handle well, I snapped the laptop back in place.

This time, when I turned it on, the Monitor came to life and the speakers had the familiar Windows jingle. I then held my breath as the computer downloaded a new update.

After a few nail biting moments, the screen filled with my shrimp boat photo. 

I then tried Pandora and it worked!

Thank the Lord! 

The electrical system lives to drive me crazy another day!

Octopus in the light, 8x8, Acrylic on canvas

Day 45 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018