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Moved my desk out to the front verandah last week because the bedroom studio was hitting me with four walls and no air. Best decision in months. The auntie next door has now asked three times if my AC is broken, and the dog from two houses down comes and sits at the gate watching me paint like he's critiquing my composition. The light out here is genuinely different. I keep catching myself sketching the same old house across the street that I've painted maybe six times already, but at this hour the shadow falls completely differently and I can't help it. Downside is every passerby thinks you're available for conversation. Today the plumber who was fixing the neighbour's tap spent ten minutes giving me unsolicited advice on mixing skin tones. He wasn't wrong though. That's the embarrassing part. 🙂

ok so today at the market a guy stood over my shoulder while I was demoing a piece and goes "you know, if you just let the darks go darker, it would really pop." and I turned around and he had his phone in his hand, mid-swipe, not even looking at the painting when he said it. just walking by, glancing down at his feed, giving me unsolicited composition advice like he'd actually SEEN the thing. and the worst part is he wasn't even wrong!! the darks could go darker!! but I was doing a wet-on-wet wash and if I push pigment in wrong it's dingy forever and you can't undo that. so I just said "uh huh" and went back to it and he wandered off looking satisfied like he'd DONE something. why is it always the people who don't paint who think the fix is so obvious. like yes, sir, more pigment, why didn't the years of training occur to me. the difference between a dark that's alive and a dark that's just MUD is the whole game and you can't explain that to someone mid-swipe on their phone. I'm half tempted to start carrying a little sign that says "watercolor doesn't work that way" and just point at it. anyway if anyone else gets this please tell me so I feel less insane