I used up all my canvases and had to wait for more stretcher bar cross-braces to arrive before I could begin to make new ones. All my life (and I'm pretty old!) I have done this by rolling out the unprimed canvas on the floor and getting down on my hands and knees to measure, cut, staple, etc. So I have gradually come to loathe this job. Now, however, I have a brand new large-sized work-table.
Yesterday I tried stretching canvases on the table-top, and I was amazed at how easily (and without pain!) it could be done. So I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I stretched several 5 feet by 5 feet and 4 feet by 4 feet canvases, and today I gessoed them. Tomorrow I will be ready to paint.
My art business has been very slow lately, and I wonder if the housing slump is contributing to the downturn? Or elections? Or gas prices? Or what? Are people waiting for their tax rebates?
But today I did get an order for a print of Culmination, my most popular image for prints:
I'll keep painting whether anyone buys them or not, because that's what I do, but I'm a happier painter when sales are good.
