Why do I do this again? or The Year of the Tick

I painted again this evening, just before the sun went down. The light changed dramatically while painting. The bright sun hid behind the clouds and peaked out once or twice before it finally gave up the ghost.

My initial drawing was okay. It didn't have me excited, but I really wanted to get something down on the canvas. And apparently, so did the bugs. I plucked many out of the paint and finally decided to let them lay where they landed. Although the little gnats were getting in my ears, eyes, and I'm sure my mouth if I had dared to open it. Luckily I had left my iPod in the studio or I would have been doing my usual wonderful mouth-wide-open singing job to either the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Beck, or The Band.

By the way, the ticks are horrible this year. They are looking for me everywhere I go. That's why I go incognito and hide behind a cloud of deet.

I gave a valiant effort for about an hour and a half before finally dipping my rag in the turps and wiping the entire canvas off. EXCEPT for one small little rectangle in the lower left of the 16" x 20" linen panel. In that one little area I liked something. Not sure what, as it wouldn't win an award in any competition. Maybe it's the 2 tiny bugs that, to me anyway, look like a couple of buzzards circling the trees looking for something to eat. Maybe they smelled my painting. ;)

So, I saved that little rectangle.