A 'Silver' Lining

Hello fellow bloggers and readers, hope everyone is navigating life successfully. Well, here we are again. No, I haven't taken my exams for PSIA...yet. I did 'finish' Robocop however and have been busy studying for my certs, painting, working, reading, eating, and anything else that helps one's existentialism. I feel like I've been studying so hard for my level 1's through the end of last winter to present. I think I needed to get out and ride just to remind myself of WHY I love to ski. Of course if you have been following our winter forecast you probably already know our snow output here in the inland empire has been less than stellar. Only recently have my wife and I been able to ride our local mountain. The big dump of snow and cold we recieved was followed immediately by a warm front and lots of rain. It feels like I'm back in Portland, Oregon. Of course, we were able to squeeze in two great days of riding so far. Day one the groomers were singing and day two saw 9" of fresh powder. I feel like we got the best of both worlds, those two days.

With that being said, I am hoping to get my written exam done in the 1st week of February. I have read the tech manual cover to cover, and worked the entire level 1 workbook. The written test should take me a couple hours to complete. I beleive the on-snow portion takes a couple days, but maybe not for level 1. Getting out and sliding down the mountain has always been one of my favorite feelings in the world. I truly hope I can give the gift of that feeling to others as I move closer to my instruction certification. Okay, So, I think I 'finished' Robocop and I know I have shown this piece repeatedly with subtle updates, for that I am sorry. This acrylic piece took me longer than I had expected. I wanted to work with a metal texture and this iconic character seemed perfect. The source material was really dark and I needed to use my own direction with a lot of this piece. I'm pretty happy with it, and really just glad to be done for now, though I may go back in and rework the pistol somewhat. That was the hardest as it was almost black in the source material with no real defining features. I used my imagination and played with mixing of colors on the brush.

Now we move onward and upwards! I'm looking at 49 years coming up here in less than a week and it is weird getting old. I don't feel almost 50 years old. I do feel healthier, smarter, and more focused on the things I want. Probably because I fucked off for so long in life. If I knew what I were doing sooner I would have kept riding and pursued a career in instruction a lot earlier. Sometimes the easiest answers are the hardest to figure out. At this point though, I'm very lucky in my life and my abilities. I am planning on starting a new piece today or tonight. I hope to have some reference shots or sketches the next time I blog. I'm still plugging away with Odom Corp. and it has its perks, but I am still sending out resumes to keep myself fresh and current. I recently turned down a nursery specialist position with Eastern Washington University. This was the second time I was called in in as many years. It's sad that I make more throwing beer on a shelf than I do using my ag and horticulture skillset that I have taken my whole life to compile. I realize I'm not alone in this battle. When I left the horticulture sector I wanted a 'company job'. I got exactly what I asked for. The funniest part is; my wife and I quit drinking 2 years ago. So I just thank my lucky stars I have a consistent job and my bills are paid. This is why I really want to get my PSIA certs. Imagine going to work and teaching people to chase that feeling that freely sliding down a natural creation gives you. I want to thank you again for taking the time to read my cerebral spillings. It does mean a lot to know someone out there gives a shit, in a world where most, don't. A quick update from today's post! I sketched out a couple of new ideas for my next piece. I think I have settled on Snake Eyes. I want to move forward with my art and work more movement into the piece so I decided on a more dynamic pose in the next one. Here is a sketch of the idea I had for my next acrylic piece.