The Evil Emporium and Killer Turps

There is an evil shop in Napier- an emporium full of different items at bargain prices including a vast range of canvases and other art supplies. This is where I buy my paintbrushes as the same brand in other shops are four times the price. The shop is evil because it exerts some mysterious power over hopeless individuals like myself and you end up spending much more than you intended. On Tuesday I only wanted to replenish my brush supply but I ended coming out with more canvases and glass sparkly things which I sometimes use in decorating frames. I overspent when I have so many other bills so my pleasure was a guilty one. However I managed to justify my purchases by thinking I would paint up a storm and sell the resulting paintings. Yeah right!


Yesterday morning was painting at Otane Arts and Crafts. I began a new work which I want to submit for the Pukeora Extravaganza Exhibition in September. It costs $10 per painting to enter and there is a selection process so my picture may not even get in. It's a painting of a mother donkey nuzzling her baby and I am calling it "Two's Company". I did two hours work blocking the main shapes in which was great for me, the Queen of Procrastination and Excuses.

However the smell of turps in the art room was so overpowering that two artists had to work elsewhere which wasn't great as it was freezing. The lady in charge of the group asked who had the smelly turps, two artists said theirs was deodorised and a third oil painter said nothing but I noticed the smell went when she left early before lunch.

In the middle of the night I woke up feeling really ill. Alot of muck running down my throat which I couldn't clear, this morning I feel quite wobbly and unwell so am wondering if it was the effect of the turps. I know sitting in the room with the smell my sinuses and chest began to burn.

One shocking thing happened in the class. One lady had done a lovely painting of teddy bears which I admired as it sat on her easel. Then I saw her take it down and begin pouring liquid over the canvas before wiping the whole picture off! Everyone was appalled but she didn't like the picture and never wastes time correcting them preferring to wipe the canvas clean and begin again to prevent overworking. I told her that when my paintings go wrong I palm them off on my family and they have to suffer living with them instead!