Adrift

Adrift

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Adrift
oil on canvas paper
11 x 17 inches
This item is unmounted and unframed
(click on the image to purchase)

To my mind, voyaging through wildernesses, be they full of woods or waves, is essential to the growth and maturity of the human spirit. It is in the wilderness that you really learn who you are. It is in facing the challenges of the wilderness that the thickness of your wallet becomes irrelevant and your capabilities become the truer measure of your value.
― Steven Callahan, Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea

Here at Malarkey Central, we're continuing our voyage on the Sea of Shenanigans in the SS Malarkey, otherwise known as the beautiful pea green boat.

And guess who is on the high seas today? Yep, it's Pippi. Our intrepid adventurer is back once more, this time venturing out on her own to see what she can see. She's not lonely, our Pippi, as her imagination and curiosity keep her company everywhere she goes.

For many of us, solitude is welcome. A time to recharge, a place to be quiet (or loud - I hear all you screamers and singers and self-talkers!) and to exhale all expectations and responsbilities.  For others, being alone is, well, lonely. 

Much of my life, I have been most lonely in the company of others, and never really lonely by myself. Introversion has a lot to do with that, but it is also not being seen or heard by others. And that is something we can do in the world, you and I, to help ease  loneliness. Especially during this season. We can see and hear those who need to be seen and heard. Now off you go, and me as well.

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About the art: beginning with a gesso'd piece of canvas paper, I sketched the figure, sail and boat roughly with thinned oil paint. For this piece, it was important to resist adding too many colors - shades of green, this one, with a bit of blue in the background. Pippi stands out because of her hair and skin tones, which were developed over many layers. Canvas paper wants a lot of layers to build deep colors, and this one was no exception. There is a point, however, where the piece crosses from "needs more" to "ooooooooh la la!"  I didn't always know that, and abandoned paintings too soon in the past as a result. But not this one! Pippi kept encouraging me, as she does. Yay.

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The next two videos from last month's Question Exchange with Carl Stoveland are up and ready! Take a look/listen and I'd love to hear your feedback. Two more episodes will post next week, and then we're on to the next winner, who is (drum roll please) - Dotty S!  Congratulations! Send an email to [email protected] and let me know your preferred communication method and availability! I can hardly wait!

A new reader giveaway begins today! Leave a comment on any blog post this month to be automatically entered. And thanks a bunch to all who read, listen, comment and share this blog. You make this artist's world extra marvelous! xo