Mondays.

Feels so good to NOT have my nose pressed to the TV cheering on Joe and Kamala! Finally feel that I can breathe with relief and get back to normal, so thought I’d share the little project I’m working on today. Almost everything is closed here in France on Mondays, so it’s really my catch up/clean up day. And if I’m lucky, I can fit in a little marketing.

I bought this painting a couple of months ago for the Etsy shop. When we picked it up from the auction house, Theo’s face said it all!!!… What the hell were you thinking???

Well, I thought it was a nice turn of the century piece and such an interesting format. Long and skinny—over a meter tall. Cool.

And when we unloaded it from the car, I discovered a serendipitous surprise. There was a second painting stretched onto the back! Better yet! Two paintings for the price of one!!! And after closer inspection, it’s a close-up of the doggie from the front side with the lady.

Yes, it has some issues with the paint oxidizing over time. And without knowing exactly what paint and varnish were used, it’s tough to do a decent restoration (not that that’s my focus in life), but thought I’d fart around with some different ideas. After some research, I decided the easiest thing would be to “oil it out” by applying a thin coat of linseed oil to the surface, wiping off all excess.

So I painstakingly removed the ancient tacks from around the painting that were holding on the dog canvas (as it was ‘on top.’) Took a deep breath and started brushing on the Huile de Lin.

It seems to be soaking it up nicely, so we’ll leave it overnight and see what tomorrow brings when it dries. Cross your fingers for me!