Author Archives: mathdreads
Perfect 10th Painting
For the first time since working on this series, I’ve enjoyed the daily progression of this canvas. The underlying beauty of it lie in the precise measurements I made when sketching the angles of the room. I put the protractor directly onto the picture so I’d leave very little to chance or “artistic ability” when … Continue reading
Olive Festival
I enjoy volunteering my time in exchange for getting in free to worthy events such as the olive festival. I’ve never heard of such, but then again, there is always a festival or two in Austin and the surrounding areas. This one took place in Dripping Springs, where I’ve never driven through at night without … Continue reading
Emancipated: How I Quit My Job in 4 3/4 Years
After teaching math and science for eight years outside the US, I relocated to Austin in July 2009. For the first two months, I didn’t have an outside job. I spent my time in my small apartment, polishing up my first novel, Tribe of One and painting. Yet I was optimistic that I’d find a teaching … Continue reading
The Return of ThunderSleet?
I’d hoped to get a lot of painting done this weekend. Saturday morning, I sat on my balcony in a sports bra and pajama pants, painting in a balmy 68 degrees. Today, it’s only 61 degrees and the thunder-sounding wind keeps rolling. I’ll bundle up and brave the weather to put a few dabs of … Continue reading
Chapter Nine’s Done!
Chapter 9’s storyboard painting took a little longer than I’d anticipated due to the battle of the icy cold weather, preventing me from going out onto the balcony some weekend days. My favorite weather-related term during that time was “thunder sleet,” which sounds like an anime character. Another thing that consumed my time was picking … Continue reading
Nine Days of Freedom
This spring break is not just a vacation. It’s a reprieve from an externally structured schedule. As a quintessential Virgo, I’ll always operate on a schedule, but for the next nine days, it’ll be of my own design. What a tease! Calling my own shots while pursuing happiness. Funny how there’s no problem getting out … Continue reading
Detox to Retox
I’ve often said that Austin is a happening city–both a blessing and a curse. Last weekend, I attended yoga four days in a row, Friday through Monday. I’d never done that before, but it was a luxury for both my body and mind, not to mention my bionic left ankle, which is still recovering from … Continue reading
Painting Inspiration
The title of this week’s blog is a little misleading. I’ve not received inspiration for a new painting or even improving my latest work in progress. Instead, I’ve been inspired to do something cool with the pictures I’ve taken of my paintings. The organized teacher in me has been taken pictures at every stage of … Continue reading
Valentina: Cupid’s Younger Sister
For last week’s Austin Writers Roulette, Valentina hosted the “Love & Passion” show, bringing joy to all who saw her gravity-defying hair full of feathers, a big red bow and a tiny wooden ship. She opened the show, dancing to the three songs that best described her love life. The first song was “Got My … Continue reading
Revamping “Adventures”
I’ve been working on my second novel, The Adventures of Infinity and Negativa for going on four years now. When I finished my first novel, Tribe of One, I optimistically thought that this second novel would take less than seven years to complete. Perhaps seven is my magic number. Or, I could have too much … Continue reading