So after all that talk about pleasure, today was just a whole lot of work. I've been painting with the flu for the past week, and even that wasn't as tortuous as today's painting session. I started a new canvas, but began with the more abstract slivers - bad move. I wrestled all day with what should have taken me a few hours. I won't know if I pulled it off until I complete the alternating fragments. One would think that the smallest abstract fragments would be the easiest to paint, but they still need to provide enough visual information about the figure without causing grotesque distortions. It's an incredibly difficult line to walk. At least it was today. And the paint is drying so quickly, I probably won't be able to move too much around tomorrow - but I guess we'll see. I've been trying to keep my studio as cold as possible - cheaper heating bills, but I'm also hoping to slow down the drying time. It's probably not making a difference, but at this point I'll try anything.