Behind the scenes work all day today.

I never got to pick up a brush.  Well, that's not entirely true--I made a small shelf out of nice step molding I have for making floating frames, painted it with blackboard paint to match my kitchen wall, and installed it to hold the little gem paintings (6x6") until they get adopted.

Kitchen Shelf

Canvas conservation
Because of concerns regarding this large canvas painting I'm working on, I did some research on preserving canvas on paintings.  There are various processes whereby paintings are relined.  I am thinking that having some sort of backing would be a good idea, but any kind of wood panels warp, there is aluminum and it is light, so that might be a good choice.  I'm becoming more concerned now with the type of canvas, preferably linen, and what type of gesso and how many coats are used.  It is surprising that cotton and linen canvases have been used for so long and some of them have held up rather well.

Another challenge
Because it takes so long sometimes to decide on what to paint, then locate a suitable photo on my computer (and all the thumb drives I have), and then get the supplies together and do the painting, or gather items for a still life, arrange them for the design and composition, etc. I find that accepting one of the Daily Paintworks Challenges is sometimes the quicker way to start your day.  So I picked a rose painting, got the board out, laid down a coat of sealer on the plywood, and now I have to wait for it to dry.  I picked the wrong one evidently because it's still wet.

Progress on the garden acrylic painting
I dug out the reference photos and set them up on my easel and tried to make some decisions regarding what plants to plant in this garden and how the beds will be designed and how to keep the wet-dirt-on-the-path look I am striving for.

Progress on the door
I spent a lot of time checking my drawing on the actual door (the open door) to decide how to get the proportions right and treat the glass inset correctly.  It got so late, I'll try for tomorrow.  Another name idea came to mind, "The Million Dollar View".

My method for blogging
In the morning after I correct the one-in-progress, I start the new one for today by giving it a title of what day it is, like Thursday, and in the body of the blog I quickly write a to-do-list and hit 'save'.   I may add or subtract things as the day goes on.  Then the following morning, during my morning email reading, etc., I edit it, give it a proper title, and post it.  This works very well for me to keep me on track, as a reminder of what I should do, and helps me realize what I have done.