Watercolor 4 Redux, and Easter Wishes

The stream on this painting (Watercolor #4) was terrible and it gnawed at me. If only there were a way to fix it. I began thinking about gouache, which is basically a more opaque watercolor. I thought maybe we had an old beginner set in the basement with the kids craft stuff. I vaguely remembered buying the set for Grace years ago thinking that it was a watercolor set, which it sort of was but not in the sense we intended.

It turns out we did still have it, the colors were still good in their tubes, and it is opaque enough to fix the worst of my stream problems. So saying that this painting was done before was premature. But now it's done. Really.

Village scene (after Yasser Fayad)

Not perfect but better. I guess you can call me a mixed media artist now. Hehe.

On a different note.... Ryder is amazing in that he can get comfortable and sleep just about anywhere. But this was a new one. Amp wasn't real happy. He's cute though.

Ryder's New Nap Spot

Lastly, I'd like to wish everyone the sincerest happiness and good health on this holiday. I would have to admit that I was raised Lutheran but would consider myself an agnostic more than anything. While the major Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter don't have the same meaning for me as they do for those of the faith (or their true intended meaning I guess I should say), they are still a time for me to pause and reflect on what is important; to relax, be thankful and enjoy the company of family and friends. Which these days means family, and only very-immediate-lives-in-the-same-house-as-me family. But other family and friends are still out there somewhere, or at least Verizon Wireless tells me they are, and I wish them well. Likewise to anyone and everyone that stumbles upon this through an ill-fated Google search or any other randomness of the cosmos; blessings on you and those you hold dear. These are dark times, but they won't last forever. Some day we shall all meet again under happier skies. Until then, count you blessings, be thankful for what you have, and most of all stay safe. If you are in a position to be charitable, please try to do so. Whatever challenges you are facing, there are likely others out there worse off than you...

Today's thanks of the day go out to all the people that people like me never really think about - everyone who works on a farm, or an orchard, or a ranch, or a cannery, or on a fishing boat, or a meat packing plant, or a commercial bakery, or any other part of the vast and complicated food supply chain that makes my life easy. Many (or most) Americans, certainly including me, take for granted things that people in many other countries don't have the luxury of taking for granted - that we have all the food we need, in every type and variety imaginable, simply by driving to the store and sticking a little plastic card in the slot at the checkout. Before this is done, Americans like me will learn better. Probably in only a limited way, but it has probably been...I don't know...World War II, since most Americans have not had whatever they want whenever they want it. Certainly not in my lifetime of 50+ years.

Today, Smithfield indefinitely closed a pork producing plant in South Dakota due to a huge outbreak of employee Covid-19 illness. But it's only one plant, right? No big deal. Sure. Yes, only one plant. One big plant that supplies 4%-5% of all pork products in the United States.

Something to think about...

Let's be thankful for those that truly deserve our thanks.