While walking on the treadmill, I often use the option of checking my heart rate. Remembering that I climb 30 steps to reach the treadmill area, I try to take it easy for the first minute or so. Initially, my rate is around 100 and very rarely in 20 minutes of increasing speed does it even reach over 120. So this morning I was surprised that it started out higher than usual, and in the 20 min. at a good clip it was over 130. Not that I worry about numbers, but it seemed odd to me.
I was reminded of an old TV show, Saturday Night Live, which I watched for the first 2 seasons. If you watched it too, you may remember Gilda Radner, who kept me in stitches just looking at her. She was everyone's Mom or older aunt, usually pessemistic about everything in life. Her signature line was "It's always something, if it isn't one thing it's another." Those words are so meaningless that they always sent me into fits of laughter. Well, this morning when I realized I feel a lot better today, and then to find my heart rate is up beyond what it usually is, those words came to me in a flash! I didn't know whether to laugh out loud, but most of the patrons at the gym are too young to remember Gilda or SNC (1970').
I usually use one of two treadmills that are older style and I can read the buttons without my glasses and having to get within 2 inches of them. To make it even better, I can understand what they are telling me. But being older machines I have never completely trusted the heart rate monitor, usually for the opposite reason - I walk my head off and it doesn't get up to 120! I came home and dug out my BP device; taking it in both arms I'm about 110/68, and the heart rate is 86! I'm good.
I found an old art class series by Bob Ross on YouTube this morning and watched a couple of episodes. I like them so much I am going to watch all the series in order. Bob was born in Orlando and fell in love with Alaska while stationed there by the Air Force. In one of the episodes I watched he said that he had moved to Fairbanks, so of course I was all ears! Ross is gone now but fortunately he left public television with a wealth of programs and they are available in several different formats. He also left many of his students who have gone on to teach in his style. He paints in oils and for now I think I prefer acrylics, but it is primarily his philosophy that I find so wonderful. . Bob Ross stresses that you paint how and what your heart tells you to. Of course that means you have to quiet your mind so you can listen to your heart. I am working on it.
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What you are encountering is that most painters work hard at being a camera. Tony Couch also preaches the heart and soul feeling for painting. Even if you don't do watercolor his book has made more sense than any other book I have read about what to paint( what ever you like), composition and other mechanics for presentation. I recommend it to you. It is "Watercolor, You can do it". Lots of libraries have it. One thing you may not know yet is that a lot of acrylic painting techniques are like watercolor techniques. Most importantly if it is not fun don't do it.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for your words of encouragement. I'd like to find the book you mentioned. I think what I'm going through now is that the instructor is so insistent that I not be a camera that she is trying to eliminate the most important and powerful thing I wanted to convey. One nice thing about acrylics and I think oils as well, is that you can paint over something and start a portion of it anew. There are several things I'm unhappy about and plan to do just that.
DeleteMost instructors can only teach the method they use in whatever subject they teach. You might find oil pastels great fun also, I do.
DeleteAt first I was only interested in acrylic painting, although the more I hear about oils, watercolors, etc., the more I'm interested in learning about them. I can't afford any more supplies at the moment, but I will keep the oil pastels in mind for the future.
DeleteI have tried painting only once and that was at one of those paint and wine events. All I can say for sure is I enjoyed the wine:)
ReplyDeleteI've already checked out the availability of those kinds of classes, but they all require getting on a freeway and driving 10 miles or so, which I just couldn't do especially in the evenings. The class I am attending is probably about 3 miles away, and I have the wine or other refreshment when I get home.
DeleteI alway felt that painting is who you are what you feel. like my photography. I was dating a guy once and he was a great photographer. He stressed that look at what you see and snap, don't try to make things centered take it off to the side or whatever. I finally learned that a few years ago and have so enjoyed what I do now. Enjoy what your doing your way. I know your learning some things you didn't know and that's good.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Jo. I just have to learn the basics before I can even think about what my way "is", but I know I see things differently than this instructor.
DeleteYou should read Gilda's book, It's Always Something. It is about her journey with cancer. I laughed so much with this book and then cried like a baby at the end.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know Gilda had written a book - those were my child-bearing years and most of my attention was centered around raising my kids. I will look to see if I can find it at the library. Thanks.
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