Frankenfinger No More!

A month and a half after my bizarre injury - following two surgeries, two casts, and a whole lot of prayer - I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel! Today the doctor took out two of the pins that were holding everything together; there is still one going through the two bones, making it impossible for me to bend that last joint on the finger. And I will be wearing a splint still for at least the next three weeks. Don't look at these pictures if you are easily grossed out... but if you're curious, here it is, before the two side pins were removed. The GREAT news is that I am now back to painting comfortably... in fact, yesterday I finished a painting I had been working on off and on at the Society of Figurative Arts - a fun and unusual pose with a nude model. Granted,… Read more »

Frankenfinger No More!

Another Week in the Cast

Okay, I admit it. I'm sitting here tapping my feet, twisting locks of hair, and going a little bit crazy. I look down at  this hard piece of plaster and bandages engulfing my whole left hand except for the thumb (which might be useful except for the fact that it's disconnected from the rest just enough to be in a constant state of paraesthesia). I keep thinking the day I have my painting hand back to full recovery can't come soon enough. You know what I miss? Washing dishes. Opening a jam jar. Typing with both hands. Buttoning my pants (yes, I've pulled out my entire wardrobe of elastic-waisted bottoms for this week. Real fashionable!). Putting my hair in a ponytail. Applying the perfect sweep of eye liner. I even miss working out (something I never would have admitted to b… Read more »

Another Week in the Cast

The Broken Finger: Round Two

So, I wasn't expecting a curveball here with this whole broken finger fiasco, but it happened, and I'm trying my best to maintain a positive attitude. We spent this past weekend in Austin, enjoying a "mini vacation" with family, and because of all the distractions, I often forgot about my finger in its splint. It was a lot of fun, but by the last day of our trip I felt, as I always do after I've had a lot of socializing, that I really needed some time alone -- preferably with my paints and brushes -- to "recharge." I was determined to go out and do some plein air painting, broken finger or not. We were staying in a condo on Lake Travis, but it was a little bit of a hike in either direction to get down to the lake. I carried my painting supplies all the way … Read more »

The Broken Finger: Round Two

Where there is a will, there is a way...

After hearing about my recent hand injury, several artist friends challenged me to paint with my right hand, as opposed to waiting until the cast comes off my crippled left. Given that I am accustomed to painting nearly every single day and have been biting at the bit (it has been over a week since my last painting session!), I decided to give it a shot. I wasn't terribly optimistic. Since the surgery, every time I tried drawing, writing, or doing anything that required some dexterity, I ended up making a clumsy mess. I almost lit myself on fire trying to light the gas burners on our stove, because my right hand got confused about which burner was which. Using my right hand has required an extra measure of thought and concentration. But... perhaps this could work to my advantage in a … Read more »

Where there is a will, there is a way...