Awwww… What a sweet little thing! 
Very nice photo! 
My irises are blooming under the honeysuckle tree and we have a dangerous weather warning due to smoke from the west coast fires! I might have to risk it… >.>
Those poor folks sure get more than their share of droughts and fires! 
Not every day a living ship just pops into reality.
Those are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
A little tale of myself & my current ‘subject matter’.
I recently got back into fixing an old Kawasaki motorcycle I’d been slow to finish working on. It’s not like I need any more mechanical headaches but I’m (mostly) retired so I enjoy my little indulgent hobbies.
This particular motorcycle had sat in a salvage yard for quite some time before I’d (foolishly) claimed it but surprisingly it had returned to life easily after some light mechanical & electrical tinkering.
Damage was superficial & mostly on the left side & the repairs required were straightforward & fairly easy.
A couple of lights, levers, swapped a few bits here & there, a different exhaust system, some home-fabricated luggage racking & finally a oil service & it was all done.
I’d test riden it a few times locally & found it ran reliably smooth & powerful so was thinking of going through the processes required to get it on the road legally as a scruffy & faded, cheap go-to-town-vehicle.
I am thinking maybe a cyberpunk/militaryesque look might be a fun paint & graphics theme for it, once it’s beyond the required inspections. (It’s low value, high mileage & I have little invested in it, so why not have a bit of fun with it).
Anyway, my little dog decided to run off visiting down to my neighbours place & I took the bike for a ride down to fetch her. (She will run back with me if I encourage her too).
As I acsended the long hill back towards home, with the pup bolting along ahead of me, the bike seemed to keep spinning up too easily on the gravel.
The closer I got to home, the more the bike seemed to be struggling to gain traction.
Then, as I came with sight of the house, the bike suddenly ground to a messy halt, with the rear wheel spinning but the front wheel locked solid.
Over I go, stepping away from the machine as it crunches over on its right side, (the previously undamaged side) & nearly falling down the embankment as the locked wheel prevented any steering input.
No injury, just a slap in the ego & some annoying new scratches. Thankfully, I hadn’t put any work into the cosmetics or I’d have been rather upset.
Little dog seemed rather amused.
Of course, on the steep loose surface, I couldn’t get the bike upright & had to fetch a family member. There is something quite depressing about a motorcycle laying on its side & helpless.
We dragged it away from the embankment, wiggled it to a position where we could stand it upright & I quickly determined the front brake hydraulics had freekishly jammed on. Not an entirely uncommon thing for vehicles that have sat for long periods but potentially extremely dangerous to do so while in motion, so I was quite fortunate it didn’t occur at serious speed.
A trip up to my shed & back had the tools in hand to dismantle the system & after a bit of a fight, I had the brake callipers freed & strapped to the bike (using my belt) & I was able to ride it home with just the rear brake functioning.
Back into the shed it went & off to the house for a sulky beer I went, feeling somewhat deflated after my less than perfect afternoon.
So my current project is awaiting a full brake system rebuild kit. But hey! At least the scratches are reasonably equally matched side to side now 
Glad you were not injured.
Enduring heat indexes of 114 F here so not getting out for much except to check on the baby PeeWees getting ready to fly in my carport.
You really know how to tell a good story, @Mad-Hatter ! I’m glad only your ego was injured. That’s soonest mended at least. 
Have done nothing more creative over the last couple of weeks than my usual ink sketches in the evening, watching them evolve over time. By that time of night I’m too tired to put any effort into it, so they end up as merely slightly complex doodles.
My main projects this last few weeks has been digging my way out of the clutter and dust that has accumulated in all of my art-making spaces, On Saturday my daughter and her fiance along with Mal, made themselves available to clear a massive amount of space in the Studio. Bless them!
Along with my eyes not being able to discern what is at the end of my nose, and with a dust allergy to boot, it has been uncomfortable to dig myself out of the mess. But “the Kids” were extremely respectful and sensitive as they took charge and cleared a huge space. I am now able to get at the shelves that haven’t been touch in about three years!
The momentum I gained from their help has had me clearing the clutter and making breathing space in many other areas of the house as well as yesterday a foray into those blocked shelves, finding a small stack of (yet more!) filled sketchbooks.
And this morning, for the first time in weeks, I smeared some hansa yellow light and phthalo blue gs, straight from the tube onto a 12x16 canvas panel and used one of my new Catalyst brushes to move that paint around and blend it. That felt so good!
Of course it isn’t furthering any of the projects that I already have ongoing, but perhaps I can get back to those when more space is cleared in the Studio. Wish me luck!
Always good to hear from the other creatives here.
When My PC died in 2018 I had no creative outlet for 2 years beside my smart phone. So I took to writing music on my phone. I think this was also the catalyst for my reduced time here on ETARC so I don’t think I ever shared any of it here.
When I wrote this song there was a huge ongoing court case around rape allegations and some high profile sports stars in Ireland. This was my attempt to instil the atmosphere surrounding what became a media circus. COYWIG was the working title but I abandoned it like everything in the end.
I had also just quit my job and moved home so during this period I was on the road with my Uncle helping him with hydraulic repairs. All footage just stuff scraped from the Journey home as they were most recent files on my phone for smashing a video together :3
A newslink for those curious. They were acquitted despite surmountable evidence they were guilty. Unfortunately womens rights in Norhtern Ireland are far behind what they are in the Republic (we still have a bit of a way to go though) so the result wasn’t surprising, in fact people coming forward after experiencing non consenual acts has plummeted in the north after the outcome of this trial as it only further crushed any hope victims in these situations might have of being heard.
I could talk all day about the political issues up the north so I’ll stop there, let’s just say it hasn’t gotten any better with Brexit ’ ^ _ ^
thank you for sharing your music with us.
I have to admit that I may not listen to it myself, as this is a triggering issue for me. I will however ask Mal to give it a listen and see if he thinks I could give it a listen, too. (We do that with movies as well)
I can’t imagine going two years without a computer. Gah! O.o
I am absolutely hating this painting I started. I may have to scrape it down and start over. 
I have way too many unfinished paintings. :`P
I know the feeling.
On a mini vacation right now. Just hangin’ in Little Rock. Plan on eating and relaxing. The health issues since covid have sucked the life out of me…
Not sure what the answer is for unfinished works. Take a step back, look at them and see if anything moves you. You can do it!
On the TV when I walked in 
I wholly sympathise with having the life sucked out by illnesses! And I’m so happy you have somewhere to go to have a complete break.
Have you remaining covid symptoms lessened enough for you to enjoy that food? I hope so.
Indeed! Some of them I have stepped back from for decades. lol But there is a difference to feeling a piece is unfinished and knowing its a dud and you hate it. Which is what this painting is. I will be painting over it with white gesso
Mostly I hide unfinished paintings in a closet until I need a substrate to paint over. I come from a poverty background and so if I can help it nothing goes to waste. Lately I found that my large tub of white gesso had gone all lumpy on top. I scraped as many of the lumps out as I could find and with a palette knife I applied it to a large “dud” stretched canvas. (Did I mention this before?) It has made an interesting pattern of soft lumps. but I am not sure where to go with it yet. It took weeks to dry.
I find that with all the doctor visits and CTs and ultrasounds and on Tuesday coming, an MRI, greatly ramping up my phobia around the medical profession, I’m having some difficulty concentrating on painting. So decluttering in the Studio is the perfect distraction, along with NMS, of course! 
I have heard that some artists save up their duds until they have enough for a bonfire. I have enough trouble throwing away anything that might be useful in the Studio – usually jars, lids, containers, etc. But for the last week I have been forcing myself to throw most of it into the recycle bin. I’m actually quite proud of myself! I now have a 66 quart sterilite container full of filled sketchbooks. The dust (mites) is killing me though.
Mal, and our grown up kids have been extremely helpful in clearing space to get at most of the stuff that needs dusting and decluttering. So much so that I have been keeping going on the momentum.
Aww, you are so sweet! Thank you for the encouragement!
Ah! don’t you love corroborative messages from the Universe?! You can give it the thumbs up and say “way ahead of you, Universe!” 
Yes. Most of my smell and taste have returned. It seems things are triggering throughout my body but then calm down. It has not been 3 months yet so I am trying to be patient but will have to start running tests on things before long.
I understand your phobia around the medical profession. It can keep me from being able to concentrate on anything else. Very depressing.
That could be quite fun! Makes me think of the artifacts I have been plucking from the area. But, now the voluminous amounts of rain and the extreme heat and humidy have spurred a vigorous growth of grasses and trees so it will soon be impossible to continue finding things. Apparently the area is part of a much larger site. It spreads out over several miles. While the area I have been poking around on had not specifically been reported, it does not count as its own site but an extension of a previously reported site. 
oh well, it has been fun.
I could send you some shards you could ‘bury’ in the lumps. 
I usually pay no attention to motel art but this is very cool. It looks like an x-ray with ink…I have no idea what media it really is
It looks like ink on Yupo to me and the ink has been wet and allowed to flow, probably upon turning the piece upside down. I could be completely wrong, however.
That is very kind of you, but the piece is pretty hardened now. I will have to fake the shards by carving them into the thick dry gesso by hand/chisels.
It has been fun following your archaeological exploits, too!
Good luck with your mini vacation!
Now that is what I call “art”! :drools:
I’m glad you are enjoying your vacation
Have to get my real camera and retake this but more rain rolling in. This is the coolest fungi yet.
And some more
Some nice shroomie shots!
That first one looks like it might be related to a Maitake, or so a friend of mine who loves wild shrooms told me.
I got back to some painting yesterday, mostly playing with Caran d’Ache watercolour pigment sticks. unless the phlebitis in my leg gets worse, no more doctor visits for two months. YAY!
Apparently the tamoxifen, along with too much sitting, has caused a six inch long blood clot to form in my right pelvic vein. And so that means (expensive) blood thinners twice a day. Sigh.
So I spent the whole day painting. I think I may be very close to finishing that 12x16" abstract landscape that I hated. And I started some serious work on the 18x20" lumpy gessoed one. As well I used my Caran d’Ache stick and created in my sketchbooks and watercolour blocks, five more smaller pieces, but those are mostly still in progress. Some are with ink outlines and some without; some I started on dry paper and then misted them afterward, and some I am working the pigment back into after misting.
If I can get my bedamned camera to work I will post some pics of my experiments.
I am so disappointed in my phone camera. It seems impossible for it to properly show oranges and yellows.