Experimenting and exercising.

IFor some time I’ve had a problem with my right hand , over the last two weeks it’s become more difficult to paint or sketch as I feel like my hand is in a very tight five pound steel gauntlet. It going to remain this way until I have surgery to remove the lump that’s growing over the tendon and pressing on the nerves . So what’s this got to do with paint and my creating a post about it , it’s my problem and I’m nor looking for a sympathy vote etc , it’s been suggested that if I say what I’m doing it might be of use to someone else, well I hope so . I’m not able or wasn’t able to paint in my usual way simply because I can’t feel what I’m doing with the brush, yes I can see what it’s doing but it’s surprising how much we use the sense of feeling without realising that we do . I have thrown away more painting in the past two weeks than I ever had in years  simply because I was frustrated with the results and on the point of giving it up. I’m as stubborn as a mule and once I get the bit between my teeth I don’t let go . Frustration, anger , self pity all kicked in but I’m determined to paint even if it means changing my style , techniques , and starting all over again . I norm use watercolour and don’t want to change that , I decided to do a woodlands scene but to my surprise I was laying on the paint thick like acrylic. The problem is that I can only paint fir ten minutes or so then need to rest , the about work had taken about five hours over two weeks, I would normally do something like this in a couple of hours. What has happened in that time is that I’m becoming used to the heavy feel and my brain is adjusting to the feeling so that I can now do slightly lighter strokes of the brush .  Still taking time and this long winded post has taken best part of an hour to write , but I’m painting and that the main thing . Given time I will be doing similar work to my old style , but then will eventually have to adjust again following surgery .  What I’m trying to say is don’t fir goodness sake give up , lol at other ways of achieving what you want to do , but accept that  its not going to be exactly the same .  The challenge is rewarding in may ways and there is a vast amount of learning along the way , something good comes out of trying I believe. My apologies if this sound like a sympathy story but it definitely not the ain of posting . This is where I’m at with this paint , will I continue with it , I think so as I quite like the look of it , but will, and be trying to paint my usual way as well . Ok yiu can wake up now I’ve done . Gel like I’ve typed forty pages , ok it sounds like it to.

Thank you for your comment and support, I’m enjoying painting this way ,would better if it wasn’t forced on me . I’ve discovered so many different ways to do things it like having lessons , but without someone telling me how to do it.  I shan’t be giving up painting , not an option in my book , and I will paint like this when my hand is functional again, could be several months before surgery as it nit sen as urgent . The prognosis is a 95 to 98 percent recovery in the movement etc so that’s  not too bad and will be almost instant, just a couple week or two exercise to overcome the surgery. I have already started to paint more like my old style as I’ve become used to the very heavy odd feeling in my hand , I have two paintings on the go so it will be interest to see the difference as they develop. The main thing is being positive and exercise the hand regularly, I’d do a small stink of exercise about five times a day . The other point made by the consultant was to moisturise and massage my hands to keep them supple, something I’ve never done unless I’ve had sore hands fro frosty weather.  The only down side is not being in my painting g confirm zone, no where to escape Trump and Co . Any time for me to shut up and get the brushes out , as to you lovely people just do what you do and enjoy doing so . This is one that is destined for the bin as the sky is a mess , it was to warm and I took to long painting it then messed about trying to correct it .

I did try to recover it Robert as you say watercolour is the easiest to restore, I’ve decided to deep six it as the navy would say . Not  worth the time or trouble try to put it right when I can do the base sketch and another sky much quicker , normally anyway ,sometimes we just need to accept it’s nit worked out , love painting it give you a real kick in the backside sometime and reminds you that your not that clever. 

I’ve done quite a bit more on this since last posting, also working on another but very different.

Thank you Alan for your comments both here and privately.