More, more, more!

Seems like forever since I've posted! I have the three birds completed - two are hanging next to their siblings on the family-room wall, the other is still waiting for me to figure out how she should stand/hang. I have an additional three new ones whose pictures I haven't taken yet. They are almost ready to stain. I had to go buy some new tung oil this weekend, as my old bottle had started to congeal. Once it's exposed to oxygen, tung oil doesn't have much of a shelf life. I think I've had my bottle for more years than the ideal time. Then I discovered the white oil paint I've always used for stain contains lead!! I had always had the really small tubes, which either didn't state there was lead in the paint, or I couldn't read the tiny print. So now I have to switch. I've always used titanium white. I think the only other white is China white.

So - I have been working, really I have! I will try to snap some pics tonite of my new stars - the unfinished ones. This coming weekend, I hope for bright, dry weather so I can shoot the three birds (photos, not guns).

Am I crazy yet? I keep worrying about packing the masks for shipping. The gallery owner advised double-boxing, making a pillow to surround each piece with bubble wrap, and filling the empty space of the box with styrofoam peanuts or the other biodegradable stuff.

At least after I get the finished work off in the mail, I can concentrate on slides for the presentation and class. I won't have to prpare any new class materials, as I'll use what I prepared last year.

And it's finally spring here in Washington! We've had flowers blooming - but it has been chilly for this time of year. Today, the temp reached 71 F. I didn't even need my jacket or sweater that I'd bundled up in this morning!