Day 13

"View from the corridor" by Hilary J. England, 8" x 10" oil on canvas, 2014

Today really is Day "13" in terms of me feeling like crap and all the annoying things going wrong. This painting is from last week..today's painting is half-finished, in the catacombs of our studio. The day started off beautifully, the weather ideal, and we were all revving to go and paint outside.  We hit a few snags in our studio (we are having some clashes with our neighbors in the library), but we didn't allow their bullshit to dampen our spirits, and out the door we went.

We found an ideal location, and we were in high spirits starting our paintings....and of course, annoyances started to build as it was beautiful and sunny, and one lone cloud in the sky started raining on us, while it's bright and sunny, so right out of the gate, our canvases and paints are mixing the oil and water, and we are getting a little bit peeved. 

It cleared up and the painting was going good for a few hours, enough for most of us to get to a midway point, despite heavy winds that knocked everyone's easel's over at least once,  at least it was sunny out, and we could move through our work. Then  about 2 p.m. the weather turned on us, and it was a tremendous rain and windstorm that literally came upon us out of no-where, forcing us to all pack in a hurry, wind beating us, and everyone pretty disgruntled.  Literally five minutes after we packed up, it's sunny and beautiful again.  The weather here is so capricious...I wish I would have known, and I would have packed a few precautions, like a small weight for the easel, etc.

And, to make this a thousand times worse, my allergies are literally destroying my peace of mind.  I was literally blind by the time I stumbled into my apartment, and no amount of eye drops would quell the intense itching and burning, and I must have sneezed at least 100 times in the last 24 hours...not fun.  It's actually so bad, it crossed my mind to go back home, because I am in torment that doesn't seem to be getting any better.  Word of caution:  if you travel to Romania in Summer, and you have any type of seasonal allergies--see your doctor and get a shot or something in advance.  Let my pain and suffering be a warning.

So, I'm laying in my room, trying to just relax and hope that this miserable itching goes away.  I've rinsed my eyes a few times, and put MORE drops in my eyes....run through a large box of tissue with my sneezing, and am praying that this crap resolves....I keep praying and praying!!!!