I Need to Spend More Time on my Back!

This is very unrelated to art, but I'll try to add a little something at the end. Yesterday I went to the chiropractor to get the results of my x-rays. The results were anything but positive. My spine is curvy, but not in a sexy way. My hip is tilted which leads to the curve in my lower spine. This is causing my spine to push into my reproductive organs, thus causing all the horrible issues I have with my monthly menstruation. I have a slight curve in the upper section as well. My neck is by far the worse part. It's a bit horrifying to see my x-ray compared to an x-ray of what my neck is supposed to look like. A normal neck is supposed to be curved. The top is at, I think, a 29 degree angle; mine is at an 8 degree angle. The lower part is, again I think, at a 45 degree angle; mine is at 9 degrees. That's quite a difference. Here's (my best illustration ever) a quick drawing of what I speak of:


I have to go three times a week for adjustments and strengthening/corrective exercises. There is alot of money being sunk into this (my insurance is crap and only wanted to pay for 6 out of the 36 visits), and thus I'm making a few lifestyle changes. Not only that, but I'm tired of feeling like shit. My back & neck are constant bothers in my everyday living, and because I've ignored it I'm in really bad shape and it's going to take years upon years to correct the damage I've done. My life is finally something I can be happy with, something I'm so proud of, and if I'm going to enjoy my accomplishments and keep making strides, I want to do it in good health. I've been a hard ass about life; nothing bothers me, I can handle it, if my body doesn't like it then it can shut down and die...etc. I've never riddled my body with narcotics, but I have put alot of alcohol and caffeine in it and I've treated it like a punching bag. I'm not saying that I'm going dry & switching to decaf and that I'm not going to be a hard worker; I'm just going to cut back and realize I even have limits. It's not the Batman way, but it'll have to do. I will say it is absolutely killing me to not crack my own neck! I'm afraid if I do it'll undo the adjustment I had yesterday. I am very dedicated to this. I hate sleeping on my back (I'm a side sleeper) but I tried last night. I woke up a few times wanting to turn over, but as usual I bullied my body :)

I want to be able to paint and draw without having to take numerous breaks by laying on my back because of the burning pain. It'd be nice to cook a meal without having to put IcyHot (am I allowed to name a brand?) on afterwords. I would love to have normal cramps instead of ones that cause me to be doubled over in pain; a period that doesn't cause nausea and fever, (However, I would still like to receive the enlarged breasts).

So here I go on the road to recovery. I'm sure there will be some art work on the way that is inspired by my emotions and experiences.

New Paintings

I finished these two paintings the other night. There's a third, but I'm not as excited about it as these two. Both are 5x7 inches and made using acrylic, crafting/distressing paint. They are both based off a series of sketches I had from my monster/creature series. I did these sketches years ago, and this is the first time I've attempted giving them life by adding texture and colour. Rather than just being smudgy graphite drawings from my imagination, and being crowded with other creatures this gives them personalities, stories; reasons they exist. I've included the sketches before the paintings. As you can see their recent incarnations are completely different (at least in my eyes) then their original! Also, if you're interested the prints are available via my Deviant Art page. The links are located in the descriptions underneath the paintings, or you can just head on over to my DA page (link will be at the bottom of this post).



So, this is Austin. For years I never saw him as this brown furry creature, but I have always noticed an intelligence to him. For me he is donning a lab apron--I think knowledge is his best friend (perhaps his only). Not that he isn't a great "guy" but he's quiet, matter of fact, and would rather make time for his scientific endeavours than to hang out at the pub with friends. However, I see him as a sort of bohemian. He can be artist/creative and unconventional. I assume the "feelers" on top his head are receptors--acting as antennae, and this how he's able to absorb and retain his knowledge.
(http://www.deviantart.com/print/11636717/?utm_source=DA&utm_medium=DP&utm_campaign=DA_DP_BuyThisPrint-Bottom_121009&utm_content=BuyThisPrint-Bottom)



Unfortunately this frozen creature hasn't given me a name yet. Perhaps the being encased in layers of ice in a dark tundra has made it difficult to communicate. I've joked how this is an animal self-portrait because I'm cold all the time! I don't actually think that, but I can empathize with this fellow. As far as the transition from sketch to painting goes, I didn't see this creature as frozen, or a ghost, until I prepped the canvas. I originally sketched it on a white canvas, and then painted the background black. That's where the idea of it being a spirit came in. I tried giving it a bit of a glowing aura affect, but that wasn't working for me or for the creature. I was painting it blue and just decided to go from there--adding different hues of white and blue and thus it became frozen. Some day I'll be able to break through that icy exterior and find out who this creature was. (http://www.deviantart.com/print/11636798/?utm_source=DA&utm_medium=DP&utm_campaign=DA_DP_BuyThisPrint-Bottom_121009&utm_content=BuyThisPrint-Bottom)

There is my last couple of days worth of work. I have alot of other canvases to smatter with my mind (and paint). So, expect some more updates sooner rather than later. Today I am excited to go see a chiropractor. Hunched over a table painting all day does not do wonders for my back. If you'd like to take a gander at my Deviant Art Page please visit here: http://eraserhappy.deviantart.com/