More Paint

In light of yesterday's success in reviving an older abandoned piece, I tried "fixing" another today.  This one just didn't have a good color balance - too many close shades near each other.  I mainly just strengthened some colors and shifted a few on the color wheel a notch. It looks better, but it's still not my favorite.  I seem to run into trouble whenever I use a true red in a piece along with a pinkish red.

Mandala Make-over

This is a mandala I found half-painted in one of my folders. I had set it aside, as I really hadn't liked where it was going.  It was weakly colored and really just didn't speak to me. I've been working on it the last few days and (for better or worse) finished it out, darkening up and changing a lot of the colors. There is only so much that you can do with watercolors before you get mud and there is no real going back, only forward.

At least I can move it into the finished stack, where it will again wait an indefinite amount of time before something happens.

After:

Before:

Good Morning

Have a cup of caffeinated sunshine.

Things Done and Left Undone

Spring Break has drawn to a close and the reality can now be tallied. One always goes into a holiday week with great thoughts of getting some of those little things done.  We had the whole family home this week and did enjoy some good time together, and because we just stayed at home we're hoping everyone is rested up.

Undone:
Taxes - I've got a few more days, right?
Framing/finishing - deadline for photos of the new stitching stuff for the online show is today. Today!?!
Beer - we've been planning to start a batch of Belgian brewing.
Beer bread - and I was going to bake bread with the spent grain.
Etsy - was going to load in all of the excess/unsold merch from the psychic fair.
Newsletter - part of getting ready for that online show.

Done:
Psychic Fair booth - it was a great weekend
Potatoes and onions - planted
Dandelions and other uninvited herbaceous pests - greatly reduced in numbers
Stitching - models are stitched
On-line needlework show booth - loaded, except for photos as mentioned above.
Sushi - made some
Music - made some
Knitting - knit some

Kids went back to school this morning, starting a fresh quarter. (I don't know how, but my son actually woke up before the alarm - he had been sleeping in past 1pm each day.)  Husband is back at work.  Dog looks a little forlorn with the nearly empty house. All the regular chores stand waiting their due: the laundry, dishes, scrubbing and vacuuming. And thus begins another cycle.