Days 21-23 - Three Small Watercolors

I am writing this entry after the fact, which is probably good, because after I finished the 20th canvas, I had a Serious Crisis.  With a scant few days remaining, I had to create 10 more pieces, and I didn't see how it could be done.  Literally, it did not seem possible.  Despair doesn't begin to cover how I felt.  My husband, who supports me in everything, began to talk to me in slow, quiet, funereal tones about how many more canvases I could realistically hope to finish.  Two?  Three?  I can't tell you the last time I'd felt so dark.

I decided at that point to abandon my theme.  Yes, it's great to read and do research and learn about fairy tales while painting, but there was no time. I was also tired of women being silenced and reduced to their looks.  I started painting warriors.  I wanted women with swords who could fight their own battles and slay their own foes.  I wanted to contrast soft shadows with hard power.

Then I painted Truitonne, from a fairy tale, because I wanted to paint her red trout spots. 

Doing whatever I wanted to do felt great.  Learning things about watercolors felt great.

I began to have hope.