Descending Ashtray

8″ x 6″

Charcoal on Paper

Well, the clock is ticking away, but it feels like the attic work is finally moving forward again. The rough stage turned out to be a little trickier than I thought – there were a few things I didn’t know needed to be done (fireblocking the wall at the level of the tub surface), and a few things I thought I did right, but didn’t (used caulk to seal the shower pan membrane as a book recommended, but should’ve used the manufacturer’s supplied sealant).

But, we passed on electrical, plumbing, framing and that pesky shower pan. It even holds water without leaking!

As we await a new opening in our insulation contractor’s schedule (they’re blowing in expanding closed cell foam), I’ve started thinking harder about the finish surfaces, and it’s this I’ll share today.

Here’s a poorly-done aerial view of the bathroom, looking North toward the new window. I’m planning on wrapping the tub sides and the vanity cabinet in some reclaimed Douglas Fir floorboards that I ripped up in the demo phase. The main floor of the bedroom will also be Fir, and it should tie the two areas together nicely.

The vertical surfaces will be either painted a kind of blue-green color, or covered in 3×6″ subway tile. Horizontal tiled surfaces (including the shower basin and floor) will be in some cool Ann Saks penny round tiles that Sarah picked out. I’m hoping they are forgiving; I’ve never tiled anything before!

Here’s another view of the vanity I’m making. The top surface will be a black paperstone (looks like stone, made of recycled paper, and can be cut with woodworking tools), with an undermount rectangular sink. The cabinet beneath will have one large door, and three drawers on the right side. I’m still working out the mechanics of this, but I want it to have a really clean look with as many unbroken horizontal lines as possible.

9″ x 11.5″

Charcoal on paper

I used to do a lot of life drawing back in college but have not done much of it recently. A friend of mine organizes a group and I joined them for the first time today. It was a really good experience and the two hours just flew by. This was the drawing I worked on today.

To help keep in practice. I am going to start doing a drawing or a painting study a day for 1 month. So every day I will post a new drawing. I was even thinking about auctioning them off for very affordable prices. If anyone is interested in a drawing that comes up in the next month send an e-mail to gabelueders@gmail.com.

This drawing was done on Sunday down at my father’s farm. It was warm and I sat outside on a rock looking west. I liked the way the branches hooked up at the ends. I was trying not to feel obligated to fill the entire page rather I wanted to focus on one thing that interested me. In this case it was the tree.

Later on in the day I went to work on the sweat lodge and got my Dad’s old beater farm truck stuck in the field. The ground was softer than I thought, even for 4-wheel drive.

I sometimes wonder what it is like in the mind of a baby in a world without words.