What can I help you find, Miss?

Day Six:

After a few days coming up a little short on the productive scale, the universe was set on keeping my pace slow. And so came the sickness. Immediately after day five of painting I was wiped out. After a self diagnosis of the flu I thought I should probably see a doctor. I described what I was convinced were flu symptoms to a real professional who easily told me I had strep throat. Great. Out of a 24 hour period I literally slept for 22. One of those awake hours was spent at the doctor. The next few days were slow as well. Three days later, still medicated I decided to paint because I was not only battling my body, but the impending freezing weather and this was my last day of warmth.

Skipping the coffee, I filled a tumbler with orange juice because I've been told it helps with the flu which I was convinced I had regardless the strep throat symptoms telling me otherwise. Now I was ready to work. First step was to buy actual white paint. I went to Ferguson's Hardware in Danville. I tend to skip buying all of my materials at the local chain because I thought they were more expensive. Occasionally, in a bind I'll end up here. So there I was, back at Ferguson's. I powered through the overly nice employee's attempt to help me (a socially anxious person's worst nightmare) and bought a great exterior white paint and happily found it to be exactly that when I opened it. AND it was cheaper than the crap I bought at Lowe's. They did not have the chalk I needed, though is that a common item at a hardware store?, but I think my next local mural I will start at Ferguson's for my supply list. A quick trip to the dollar store for chalk and I was ready to begin.

After the last defeated try at finishing the fifth, sixth, and seventh window, I was not feeling up to it. They will have to get their layers of color another day. I was (happily) anxious for the next step! Starting at the red window, I got my chalk and tape measure out along with the preliminary sketches and began. Fully intending to take this design slow and neat, following my planned out drawing, I just couldn't. I am a messy painter. Not a "I get paint on my clothes and use big blobs of paint on my canvases" painter. No I'm more of a "find chunks of paint in my hair two days later, mysterious paint behind my ears and on my stomach, stained skin, can't remember the color of my shoes, oops I just spilled half a gallon of paint thinner on my pants but it's fine" kind of painter. I promise I try to be neat but the mess always overtakes my process.

I quickly gave up on the measuring, following sketches, and the "drafting compass" I hodgepodge together with chalk and string. I'm still using the chalk to creating the designs I want the paint to follow but the process is much more in my comfort zone without all that planning. Chalk is a great tool for a mess like me: don't like that pattern? Wipe it off. That circle's more of a weird wave, wipe it off. That pattern is ugly, what are you doing? Wipe it off. Finally I slowly but surely come up with a design that molds and forms itself along the way, piece by piece. I get a good chunk of the red window design done on day six but I hope to create thinner and more intricate lines filling the bottom portion of space along with the thicker lines I started.

I'll be back for you red window after the week of 30 degrees gives up and goes home. For now, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Day 6 wrap up:

3 windows ready to start the pattern

2 windows with one layer of color

1 window still unpainted

1 window with pattern started!

1 can of real white paint

0 spills or messes (so far...)