Colour and Composition

The winter term at TSA started last week.  I'm taking two classes.  The first is Colour & Composition.  I took the first half over a year ago.  That was all about colour mixing -- those strips of colour painted with gouache.  This term focuses on composition using acrylics.
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We'll be doing four paintings on four topics over the twelve weeks.  We'll start each with exercises and studies.  The first one is about light and shadow using white and the three primary colours.  In class we did quick, timed studies of crumpled paper and then plastic sheets draped over chairs.

Dog Whisperer

There's a man in my neighbourhood who I call the Dog Whisperer.  He walks and boards dogs.  Toby stayed with him while I was in Scotland last fall and will again when I return in May.  Toby gets a walk with him on weekdays and there's nothing he loves more.  It's like a play-date with his friends Tiger and Eden.  Yes, it's a different world for dogs in 2012!

I first became aware of Brian last summer as I started to get out more with Toby.  Brian would come to my building with some dogs in tow to pick up more.  He'd leave the dogs tied up outside.  They each sat facing the door waiting for Brian to return.  Completely silent.  No barking, no fighting.

That's when I started to speak to Brian and ask him his secret.  I don't think he has one beyond loving dogs.  He has 2 of his own and usually has a few more staying with him.  Some days he walks 17 dogs in total.  Here's a couple photos to give you the idea.

Senior Band

I was at my first band rehearsal today.  I've joined a great program called New Horizons.  It's an amazing idea -- band for people over 50 who have never played an instrument and would like to learn (or learn a new one) or those who haven't played in decades.  Maybe since high school.  I'm in the last category though I have played some since the 1970s.  I don't think I would have survived high school without music.  I played in the band, the orchestra, the pit band and a community concert band with which I went to Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan.  For the most part I played bass clarinet but switched to clarinet in a couple of groups at university.  I'm playing clarinet in senior band.

There are 4 groups now since another is starting next week -- Beginner and Intermediate with one each in the day and the evening.  I'm in the day-time beginner band so far.  It was perfect for me today.  I could sight-read all the music but my mouth and thumb hurt.  I need practice.

This is a batik page that I did last year for art history.  I may have been the only one who saw the clarinet emerge as I added more paint.

Toby goes to the hospital

It started on Tuesday morning.  The first thing Toby did was throw up a piece of paper with a staple in it.  After that he refused to eat anything at all.  His favourite treat couldn't tempt it.  He just lay in his usual spot on the couch.  By early afternoon we were at the vet.

Toby loves going to the vet.  When we walk by on the sidewalk he pulls to go in.  Same with the groomer.  But in both places he starts shaking as soon as we're inside.  This time he had to stay and ended up being there for 3 days and 2 nights.  An x-ray showed a "foreign body" in his colon and he continued to refuse food.  He was fed intravenously.  I imagine the x-ray looked like this though they had no clue what he had swallowed.

I have to confess that at first I kicked up my heels.  Fancy free with no dog.  I slept in to 8 both mornings and then lounged about in my long undies.  That didn't last long.  After a day I could feel myself reverting to old ways of anxiety and withdrawal.  Of course I was worried about Toby but I had a hard time holding on to the enormity of any potential disaster.

The vet called me in on Wednesday evening to see if I could entice him to eat.  He refused even me.  However the next morning he finally pooed and another x-ray showed the thing was gone.  They never found what it was.  Too bad.  It might have helped my guilt.  I have to be even more vigilant on our walks to make sure he doesn't pick up anything.  It's a battle sometimes because he loves to sniff about.  Sometimes he walks with his nose along the sidewalk like Sherlock Holmes.

I brought him home last evening with 3 medicines for the next several days.  He ate his dinner and we had a walk.  And then at about 1 in the morning he vomited once more.  (Or I hope it's ONE more time.)  I'm assuming it was eating after so long that upset his stomach but it was pretty scary during the night.

After medicine, breakfast and two walks Toby seems himself again.  Back to his favourite spot on the couch.

Toby Update

I haven't said a lot about Toby recently.  Let's just say that anyone who speaks of unconditional love from dogs is nuts or else hasn't met Toby.  He tests me a LOT.  Consequently I'm learning about relationships -- especially the kind of thing I avoided in the past like knowing and saying what I want and sticking to it.  Voicing disapproval and approval.  Closeness and affection.  Not easy given my history of no anger, no needs, no wants, no nothing -- not to mention my fear of animals!

But he IS a cutie, that's for sure.  He was at the groomer on Friday.  I'm really going to try this time to maintain his coat with daily brushing.  So far so good -- and he's getting almost used to it.  He's a very social animal.  Loves nothing more than playing -- fighting, chasing, wrestling -- with his friends.  Especially Fido and Tiger.  He's got me to be more social as well.  Now I know many many dogs and their owners though I usually only know the dog's name!

Last portrait class

Our last class was a couple weeks ago but I left my drawings in my locker along with the self-portrait which we looked at in class.  My teacher had some comments in terms of likeness as well as the character of the drawing.  No one else followed his suggestion to try one -- but then no one else was doing the class for credit!  I found the process most rewarding and I'll be trying again and again.  There are some aspects of this self-portrait that I really like.  (I photographed it again since my first try was quite out of focus.)

TSA Open House

I went to the opening party for the TSA Open House last night with my sister.  As always the show was set up beautifully.  The drawings from my portrait class were in the largest room, Studio 2.  There were only 5 who came to the class with any regularity and 4 with work on display.  I showed the portrait on prepared paper and a drawing from the last class.