An American History Lesson
My initial approach to most political & science fiction movies are never very encouraging for my poor husband. But then something happens and after watching for a while I always tend to like the story line—The Pentagon Papers is one of those “initially rejected ” movies which I loved and was glued to it till the end and not to mention DID NOT FALL ASLEEP!
Its a film on historical facts about the Pentagon Papers- a top secret and classified study that was developed by the Department of Defense on the political and military views about the US involvement in the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1967. The movie focuses on how Daniel Ellsberg contributed to the publications of this highly confidential study in the New York Times.
The film is fascinating to watch because it depicts the true story of how difficult it is to act for an individual with moral and ethical clarity in a complex system of power. It was rather enlightening because it showed that a nation is greatest when the law is considered to be supreme.
My First Oil Painting Class
I thought painting comes naturally to me, but, today, I proved myself a little wrong. There is a lot to learn about oil painting. The kind of brushes to be used, the method to clean the brushes and also a special oil to make the brush strokes smooth. Mainly the oil that is to be used is Linseed Oil. There is a lot that I found at the local stores, but the one which seems most recommended is the Refined Linseed Oil. Brushes can be cleaned using Turpentine Oil. The oil paints available at the local hobby stores were expensive for me , so I managed to grab a set of 12 20 ml tubes from India. Well! the price wasn’t at all cheap there either, but, the dollar and the rupee differences make it easier for folks like me.
There is something more that I have learned, disposable paper pallets. They are real cool! My friend from whom I was learning actually saves these pallets in a box and keeps them in the fridge for later use…I hope her two little boys won’t think of those as something to eat! Another new terminology in my dictionary of Art is Gesso which is like a primer coat. It can be either colorless or white. Although I have not used it for my painting, but my friend told me that this is used to give a better texture to the painting…it probably makes the canvas smoother. So, gesso should be applied first with a brush on the canvas. It takes 3 -4 hours to dry.
The painting that I am making is of a scenery that I found in the Carmel Gallery Guide. I am using a 11 x 14 inches canvas…I know its rather small, but its a very comfortable size for a beginner like me. I hope to finish my painting soon. If it turns out well, I’ll think of a nice spot on the wall to hang it.
