Even when I’m ill

The blank canvas arrived yesterday. But it held no interest for me. This blank canvas that I’ve been eagerly awaiting for the last week or more, this new exciting idea that I want to put on it had to ……..wait.

Because I wasn’t well.

I was the day before, but not the day itself. It certainly wasn’t food poisoning, and it certainly wasn’t too much alcohol. But it felt like it was both, graphically. I won’t give you details, but it was epic, and came with a swimming head and a delicate stomach and a desire not to be too far away from  something to throw up in. Whoops, was that too much information. I still don’t know what it was, other than it wasn’t something I had caught, it was a reaction to something I had ingested the night before, I know that for sure.

So, forget the painting, forget the blank canvas I’ve been wanting to get my hands on for a week or more, forget the new painting I want to get on canvas, forget all of that, and get better. I didn’t want to go to bed as everytime I lay my head back it made me want to throw up again, so I gingerly sat on the settee with my head propped up, and sat staring into the room, and dozing for a couple of hours whilst my stomach settled down. 

But even then, the painting that I so want to paint, was there at the back of my mind. My mind wasn’t ill, but my body was. And as I sat, I looked at two pictures I have in my lounge, both ones I love intently. One is a photograph of a beach with rocks and sea and sky and as far as I am concerned as a perfect picture because of the choice of tones, of subject matter, and the angle its taken. The other is a painting by an artist I love, and even though the subject matter is not exciting, its how its painted and the time of day that makes it exciting. Both these pictures took my interest as I sat feeling pathetic and with a delicate stomach. And I really looked at them, taking the time to study them, more than usual, and could see what I wanted to put into my new painting in them.

Later on during mid afternoon when I felt better and gingerly started the work of the day, I knew I wouldn’t be painting anything this day. I have to be fully fit and well to paint, and I certainly wasn’t that. But I will be next week. I can start it then.

So, even when I’m ill, I’m looking at the ways of painting, whilst my head is free to paint. Its the planning that makes the painting I know that! And I can’t wait to get going on this painting……..