The Journal of Dreams 02/18/2010

When you work a lot, you need a lot of energy, a.k.a ATP-the scientific word for it.  I drink a lot of Mountain Dew…a lot!  And I eat a lot of candy, real candy like hard, pure sugar, jelly beans (especially the thicker skinned ones and licorice ones), chewy pure sugar jaw-breakers and pure honey.  Sometimes when I make tea, I use pure raw sugar and put about an inch in the bottom to suck through the straw as I go.  I should be in the Guinness Book of World Records for it; most EVER sugar eaten!

With that being said, I have decided to add mysteries throughout the painting.  There is a place at the bottom of the homepage on the Official site that fits the information perfectly.  I am really unsure if Da Vinci ever placed mysteries in his paintings, I think people made it seem as though he did but it was a grand inspiration.  Another influence believe it or not was the movie Saw.  I am intrigued by the riddles in the movies.  That writer is admirable!  Imagine the fire in a mind that thinks like that?

I am going to have to figure out a way to mark the mysteries to draw attention to them.  There is a lot of information on the website and later ones.  I have kept the MySpace and Facebook up to date and even join some other art specific sites.  I figured any way to get the revelation name out there, the better.  I can’t seem to get any responses for a sponsor and am about to give up on that.  I will have to buy the fiber optics and thermochromics myself.  I also still need Bixbite and a lot of it.  I cannot afford that regardless.

The mysteries will be marked as such (((MYSTERY))), that is pretty noticable and draws attention to it.  That way if it was missed by any chance, it was meant to be I suppose.  I have to keep a log of the mysteries as well.  I had pulled a disclosed mystery from an earlier blog which I will show again later with this mark.  I am planning a great one for Martin Luther King but will have to see if it is usable after he is painted.  I am going to write backwards throughout the painting with lead pencil which will show up when x-rayed.  That will be neat!

The Journal of Dreams 01/07/2010

The black swirls are dry enough to highlight with Interference Blue but I can not find it.  Interference Blue is a white powder that when disturbed turns metallic blue.  For me it seems a color associated with heaven.  Tonight my daughter and I are heading to the craft store, I will look for it there.  In the interim, I will apply the human or synthetic hair to the black horse.  I can’t find that either…frustrating.  Out into the great wide open to find what I need…

We are back after roaming the entire city!  I found a synthetic black hair with silver in it, 18″ in length.  The human hair at that place was outrageous!  When applying synthetic hair you always have to be aware of heat applied.  I usually blow-dry the hair after applying sealer.  The distance is critical or the hair will try to turn into an afro as it shrinks.  I bought human red and blond hair for the red and pale horses.  They are in the distance and the hair can be much shorter.

This hair is different from what I am used to working with.  Usually I work with hair on a track,  This hair is one continuous 36″ piece that requires cutting in the middle.  It is crazy because I absolutely cannot stand for the hair to get stuck to my hands.  It sets off a panic within me as my fingers become intertwined with the binding hair.  After I work on this, I will write more this evening.  It is snowing out, so it is a perfect time to work on inside things.

The hair is in its place but I used far more than I wanted.  It covers the riders chest that I worked so hard on to make it look muscular and in correct anatomy…it was indeed a “pretty” chest.  The swirls within the horse’s body were created by mixing Yes paste (a thick, professional grade glue) and black acrylic paint.  I sealed them with hard wood floor polymer.  I suppose the evaporation of moisture from the glue made them shrink.  I would have liked the swirls to maintain their deep texture.

John, the carpenter said something very inspiring.  I was talking about the small army of black horses under the current horse and he said: “when they x-ray the painting, they will see all of those.  They always x-ray famous paintings”.  He must have been impressed.  I felt my cheeks flush up reminding me of the shyness I used to have before I grew distant and cold in my heart after becoming a nurse.  I should have done art all along, it is my true love.

I worked on the official website some more.  Updating the event board and coloring it is more appealing.  I placed clues to mysteries on some pages.  People keep calling me Sir, I suppose most people think I am a man and leaving it that way might just get me further faster.  The website allows 5 pages, so I purchased 5 extra for 10 total to make a store for prints and associated items.  I saw mugs, hats, t-shirts and all kinds of stuff which can be made.

Well, I work the next two days.  What it feels like is when you start to get the flu or a cold, when you feel achy and a little dizzy.  I’ve felt this way hundreds of times and know I am not getting sick, I am just tired.  This job ends on the 28th.  Twenty days and 12 shifts.  Imagine working a job where you count down the days until you leave several times a year, for years and years.  The gypsy in me misses the freeway I’ve traveled so many times.

I stand outside at work in the middle of the night smoking and listening to the freeway sounds and see the headlights calling me.  Sometimes I feel like just walking away and never looking back, then I stomp out my cigarette, take a deep breath and turn toward the door.  I pulled my shoulders back and say:  “One more year, just one more year.”  When I step through the doors and smell the “hospital smell”, I forget about my dreams…I am a dedicated little soldier.