Distracting Myself With Colors

An Expensive Method To Manage Stress

February flew by.

When I am not painting I manage affordable housing programs in rural coastal Oregon. I am a housing advocate and believe that everyone deserves a decent, affordable, safe place to call home.

A few weeks ago a woman reached out with a question. She is 75, on social security, a recipient of food stamps, and lives in subsidized housing. These supports are necessary in order for her survival. She had been reading about the changes being made at Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and understood that with layoffs and budget cuts her subsidies might be in jeopardy. She also knew that several others in her apartment complex were in a similar situation.

She referenced an article in Bloomberg about the Housing Choice Voucher program.

This concerned woman had already started downsizing and wondered if she should start to sell her furniture now, because if she waits there will be more people trying to sell their furniture and there will be too much competition.

She was prepping to be homeless and live out of her car.

I tell my team that we are here to be compassionate advocates but to be very careful not to give incorrect information or false hope. What we say and how we say it matters.

And truthfully, I have no idea if the federal funds that are tied to social security benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, or housing choice vouchers will be altered or eliminated. So what I did tell her is “I hear you and I see you. It is okay to be alarmed and alert. Do NOT downsize your life and sell your furniture. We are in this together and you are part of my world. Together we will figure out anything that comes our way.”

Several of my staffers live in RVs. Cost of living is high here, cost of housing is insane. One of the RV dwellers built a “shed” a few days ago. In passing I asked how it went and she started crying. Turns out she and her husband put their savings into materials to quickly build a tiny home for a close friend that became suddenly unhoused. She was crying because she was wishing she could do more for her friend.

What does this have to do with painting?

Everything and nothing.

In order to feel “normal” I have been binge shopping. Paints specifically. Oh what joy. What started as just a little window shopping turned into an extravaganza of color arriving almost weekly at my door for the past month.

You name it, I needed it. I soothed my troubled soul with palettes and justified it by knowing I was just creatively exploring. I need to be an informed watercolor artist and you are not informed if you don’t try every paint brand that ever existed….right?

So to my viewing delight (because I have been obsessively buying faster than painting) I now own the following palettes:*

• A. Gallo twelve (12) half pans signature set

• Holbein twelve (12) - 5 oz. tubes artists set

• Deep Deep Light eight (8) half pans serenity set curated by Lily Moon

• Dusty Bee six (6) half pans PNW inspired set

• MaimeriBlu six (6) - 12 ml. tubes curated by Steve Mitchell

• M. Graham five (5) - 5 oz. tubes landscape colors set

• Qor six (6) - 5 oz. tubes earth colors set

• Schmincke five (5) - 15 ml. tubes 2025 limited edition colors

• Tonic twelve (12) half pans

• Winsor and Newton six (6) - 5 oz. tubes curated by Nicki Traikos

*I am providing a link because these are all amazing palettes, but I am not sponsored and don’t receive any commissions. Just an FYI for your convenience.

These are joining my previously collected palates that include an extensive array of Daniel Smith paints, Roman Szmal, Sennelier, and Art Graf.

And then there are the dot cards…because this might be a great way to more economically test out the colors that I might be missing.

• A. Gallo

• Daniel Smith

• Iuile (Night Series & Shiny Fairy Dust)

• MaimeriBlu

• Royal Talens Rembrandt

• Schmincke

• Sennelier

• Winsor & Newton

To help me keep organized with my now full time job of swatching colors, I purchased several Painter’s Watercolor Diary’s from Jerry’s Artarama. And of COURSE I needed to organize my new diary’s in the Diary Binder Box [quick side note, not in love with the Diary Binder Box, but will make it work].

This quest (aka obessive compulsion) led me to purchasing some empty palette tins including a new Art Toolkit folio palette and a couple of Meeden smaller half pan palettes.

I think my urge to create is now overpowering my urge to purchase (to the huge relief of my dear husband

Adam Rockwell

). With the flowers now blooming and some day of sun interrupting the melancholy of the Coastal winters, I am better equipped to manage the chaos of our current situation and going to look at art to calm my nerves and express my emotions.

Unless, of course, you think I might be missing an important brand for my collection…then be sure to let me know in the comments!!

Shop Update

Despite the distractions, I actually have been pretty busy this past month working on several commissions. New paintings have been loaded to my website at www.klrockwell.com.

There are only two of my paperwhites and ladybug mixed media pieces remaining. I love seeing them hanging in their new homes!

In March I am shifting back to focus on Coastal landscapes and plan on getting some plein air painting in. The temps are in the mid 50s low 60s which is pretty comfortable.

Check out www.klrockwell.com if you would like to support my creative adventure and purchase some original artwork. I appreciate your patronage and will be sharing out more paintings in the coming weeks.