I never thought of working in my studio to be dangerous. I am beginning to think twice about that now. Last week while working on a new painting, I was concentrating on the painting. I wasn’t concentrating on where I was. I wasn’t focused on what I was sitting on. As a result, I “missed” my stool when sitting down. I work in a remodeled small garage in a 1915 Craftsman home. The floor in my studio is concrete, which is normally just fine. I have a thin carpet over it, with no padding. (Mistake # 2). Mistake # 1 was using the rolling stool.
As I slightly missed the stool, I lost my balance and bounced to the floor landing on my derriere. That was okay. Still, I kept on going down. I bounced off the concrete on the back of my head. My glasses went flying and I was not only feeling a little stupid, but my head hurt like hell. So now, I’m laying on the floor, my Apple watch is screaming: “Have you fallen? Do you need to call 911?” I can’t see well enough without my glasses to find the button. I can’t turn off the emergency call to 911. I am thinking an ambulance is soon to be on its way. I am really going to be embarrassed. After a few moments, I managed to put on my glasses. I turned off the emergency call on my Apple Watch and tried to get my act together. I know nothing is broken, but my humility. Luckily no one but my husband is anywhere nearby, so the embarrassment factor was limited . Entering the house, more like stumbling into the house, I found an ice pack and sat down. This is how to have an instant headache and ruin a lovely day of painting in my studio.
This all happened on a Friday afternoon. I did not do much the rest of the day. The next day we went to Saturday Market. I had at least a #5 headache and a very stiff neck. Additionally, I admit my backside was indeed sore. But it was not enough to keep me from going to Farmer’s Market and chatting with friends. I took Advil and headed out.
Sunday we went on a Mural Tour and out to lunch with a friend, but my headache persisted. I took Advil again (Mistake #3) and enjoyed the tour as much as one can with a lovely headache. I do highly recommend the Fleet Street Mural Tours in downtown Sacramento. There is a variety of amazing talent expressed in the over 600 murals. We only saw about twenty, but I enjoyed each and every one of them.
Monday (boy this is getting long), I went to my exercise class. I felt a little weak. I “still” had the headache. After talking to my oldest son and receiving a slight lecture, I called the Nurse Line at Kaiser. They wanted me to make an appointment to come in to have a CT Scan.
The nurse laughingly told me something interesting when I talked to her on the line. Her husband said she should get rid of the rolling stool in her craft room. He was afraid she would fall off and hurt herself. He bought her a stool that did not roll. We laughed as I told her, now she had the opportunity to share a real life example.
I waited for the callback and waited for the callback and finally decided to go to ER.
No way to spend the afternoon you can have been in the studio. We were treated well, even though the waiting room was packed. One of my acquaintances from my Friday painting group arrived in a wheelchair. She had been out “boarding” with friends, and tripped on a rock. She was having her leg checked to make sure it was just a sprain. She said the boarding at Lake Berryessa was worth the pain. She was still waiting when we left. It always amazes me where you run into people you know. Last year, while I was waiting to get a prescription at Kaiser, I ran into the mother of a friend. I had not seen her in at least fifteen years.
Back to the ER. Three hours later, I found out I had an acute concussion and a mild whiplash. Luckily I did not have “Brain Damage”. I was told not to take Advil, as it can cause more bleeding. Tylenol has since become my good friend. On the way home from ER, we stopped and bought an non-rolling chair. I put the rolling stool by the trash in the alley. It was not there this morning, and I don’t think that I will miss it.
I went to the gym this morning, as the doctor said it was fine. I did use lighter weights than usual, and am trying to laugh about the situation. Fortunately I did not long term damage to my head. It did make me stop and think about the dangers of painting.
I enjoy Plein Air painting; but I have had a Black Widow spider crawling up my back. Luckily someone noticed it and knocked it off. I have had a skunk walk by in close-proximity, but was not sprayed. I have gotten more than one terrific sunburn. I have dropped at least one painting in the dirt. My umbrella has blown away and my allergies have asked what I was doing in the middle of a field. Friends of mine have had bears come visit, but I don’t go that rural.
I considered my studio a very safe environment, until it was not.
This was the painting I was working on, and I will always think of it as “Falling Off”. It is not done, and will not be for a while.
Painting is not for sissies. I think about the lack of ventilation when varnishing my work. I consider reaching and hanging paintings above my head. These are among the many perils of doing art.
Enjoy art you see. Enjoy art you produce. Remember to try to be careful working in your studio and out painting Plein Air!
And it’s finished. (For now)
I was not happy with the colors when I looked at the painting online. Colors always look different online or in a photograph than how they look in the studio or in natural light. I could see that the tree was not quite the focal point and that is what I had hoped to achieve. In working on the painting a little more, I softened the mountains in the back, brought more lights to the tree, simplified the foreground and think it works better now.
On another note, my headache from my concussion is finally gone and I feel great. I have a new chair in my studio with no wheels and will be painting like crazy as I feel great again!
