Fingerprint dots to tiny triangles: work in progress

Blue Fingerprint Dots

Rotator Cuff Surgery & Painting

I had rotator cuff surgery in November 2013, and it had (and continues to have) a long recovery which included about 10 weeks away from painting with my right hand.

Multi Fingerprint Dots

Must paint. Must paint.

Undeterred, I painted a number of sheets of fingerprint dots with my left hand, knowing that I would cut them into tiny triangles and create paper mosaics. Like most good things, this is taking much longer than I imagined.

The Guillotine Paper Cutter

I didn't consider that The Guillotine Paper Cutter could not be part of early rotator cuff rehab and recovery. (I just started physical therapy "weight training" with a one-pound weight.) The first step in making tiny triangles from sheets of painted Arches Cold Pressed Grain Fin 140# paper requires a sound "thwack" with the paper cutter, and I am just now beginning to use it. More than a few "thwacks" is clearly a wrong thing for my shoulder.

The Tiny Triangles

Facing a growing stack of half-inch strips, I know that making tiny triangles will require scissors, patience, and more recovery.

Puzzle Maker's Choice: jigsaw, tile saw or paint brush?

Puzzle Pieces Work in Progress

I understand the addictive quality of working out a jigsaw puzzle, and have myself uttered the plaintive cry "Just one more!" when my parents were trying to call me to dinner or send me to bed.

There are no jigsaw puzzles in my house today: Too much space is devoted to painting, and Max the Kitten, who has already walked into wet gesso and spilled water onto a nearly-finished painting, would be drawn to puzzle pieces like a moth to a flame.

Having a "no puzzle policy" hasn't kept me from making puzzles, though. Typical puzzle maker's tools are either jig saws or (for the really ambitious) tile saws, however, my puzzle-making tool is a paint brush.

This work-in-progress puzzle is made with a 6H pencil and a Raphael Martora Sable #0 brush that I bought at Wet Paint in Saint Paul, MN.

Further reading: 11 Reasons To Do Jigsaw Puzzles