Unsinkable
On surviving the storms and other overdue updates
As usual I don’t remember where I screen captured the photograph for this watercolor painting. As I am painting more from photographs than from photographs of other watercolors these days, I have promised myself to get better at giving a shoutout to the photographer.
I think the stormy scene resonated with me after this difficult year of cancer in our family. We thought the treatment was done and it was time to turn the page, but intense headaches necessitated a brain MRI. Two weeks of stress between ordering the MRI and getting the results. Thankfully there were no obvious metastases, but the headaches persisted. We think they are now abating with the simple addition of aspirin.
The waves feel like my life, and there is no safe harbor here. I am the rusting boat, still afloat.
This was the last thing I completed my adult education watercolor class. It is quarter sheet size, and that much blank paper tends to make me anxious, with the inner critic constantly telling me I have no clue how to paint something this large.I have done too much work this year in postcard and small sketchbook pages. Over all I am proud of this painting. There are a few things I would change, but everyone who has seen it feels the power of the storm. I feel more confident after this one.
I moved on to address two of my main difficulties in watercolor: people and architecture. This one is yet to be finished. Needs some edge smudging and unpainting/repainting. Actually, it really needs to be started over, but I seldom paint the same subject twice. Too many great subjects, too little time.
Getting back to the stress of May 2026, I have been taking steps to address it in healthy ways.
Firstly, at the age of almost 69, I decided to seek out a therapist, to learn more about my unhealthy stress responses and where they came from. And hopefully to learn better healthy coping mechanisms. This week’s homework is to use transitional breathing as I move from place to place or situation to situation so that my focus is more immediate instead of dragging the past into the present and the present into the future.
Secondly, I have started to get back ito my tactile fiber art crafts because the repetitive motions of knitting and crocheting are soothing. I finished some small projects. For self-care, I splurged on an interesting fair isle colorwork knitted hat for myself. I haven’t made any hats this year for the annual winter coat drive at church, so I cast on a crochet beanie as well. It’s a good mindless project to balance against the charted colorwork.
Color therapy, wherever I can get it. Started a new quilt, Bonnie Hunter’s Rivanna which requires intense concentration to get all those triangles pointing the right way to make the larger design. Blues are my happy colors. My progress thus far:
After getting a clean bill of health from the cardiologist, I am still trying to get my exercise regimen back on track. I do some weight training in the basement at home and aim for one gym session to use the leg press and decline bench press machines. This morning, I was awake early and at the gym before 5:30 am. It was not too crowded, no wait for the equipment I needed to use. I’ve got to get in more cardio though, either walking or on the treadmill.
I don’t feel like I am fully back on track yet. I am shifting into a daily schedule that puts creative time earlier in the day, before tackling the household drudgery. We also did some bulk meal prep last week so cooking every evening is not so onerous. I honored my commitment to myself by starting my cleanup/decluttering in my sewing room. It’s got to be ME first more often to get out of this stress overload.
I have my sketchbooks in my car, and hopt to do some more suburban sketching soon. I have done some small waiting room sketches in pencil, but nothing worth showing, it just counts as practice and recommitment to drawing as a foundational skill.
I have prattled on long enough. I am sorry that I have been quiet in May here on substack. I don’t know if I will settle into a regular posting rhythm, but I hope to post soon when I am done with the cityscape.
Thanks for reading. What have you been up to? Do you have a plan fro the summer, any special creative project? Let me know in the comments.
I love the cityscape! I can’t wait to see the finished product. My creativity remains largely focused in knitting (and designing) though I’m about to tackle a large cross stitch project. I’m also planning to pull out my sewing machine. Watching my niece use a tv tray to hold her sewing machine has convinced me that I don’t need a perfect setup in order to sew (though I will not be using a tv tray).
Well I’m so glad to hear your cardiology results were good! And the cancer news being positive is a blessing. Good for you on the therapy process. I did it years ago and with my mixed bag of childhood traumas it ended up dragging up more that I had already healed from than helped to deal with current life stresses. Most therapists start with your history and with facts being difficult facts, they like to dig in there not believing you’ve dealt with it. I hope you benefit from yours.
Now that my hand has healed from surgery and the physical therapy is good for me, I’ve been pursuing more tactile arts also. Crocheting and some bead weaving jewelry. I decided to continue my quest to “use” my stash of yarn and beads while I can still see to do the fine work I enjoy doing. Between eye injections every 8 weeks I am also doing some Van camping trying to get one more trip in next week cause the temps are going to be cooler. So maybe some Plein air sketching too.