THIS WEEK WAS SPENT WORKING IN THE LOWER REGISTER OF THE PAINTING. I tackled Cedric with his horse, then the chickens to bring a little light heartedness to this painting marathon. Friday I tried to finish Matty's hair, head and shirt. The Icelandic Sheep dog is roughed in, ready for more work next week. I would like to paint through to the end of each subject in one sitting, but the day is not long enough or I am not fast enough.     
            The chickens, on the other hand, had my attention until I was finished. I wish I could paint the whole painting with that same abandonment of expectations as the chickens gave me. I remain steadfast in my commitment to paint the best picture I can, but I have to say I am feeling the last six miles of this marathon and am getting anxious for the finish line. 
            Overall, I am a month ahead of my self-imposed schedule, which will give me some time before Christmas to take care of any areas of the painting begging for attention. 
            The frame progress should show up in my posts in the next few weeks. I am excited to see it come together. It is now in the hands of Rich, the cabinet maker.

NOT MUCH TIME TO PAINT THIS WEEK, but I did repaint Brita's head and a few other details. There were five presentations this week showing the progress of the painting and the canvas at the Runestone Museum and Central Square in Glenwood, MN. It was a good time to reflect and be grateful for all those who have helped to make this project happen. The next time the painting is shown it will be finished and hung in the Runestone Museum in it's final resting place next to the Viking Diorama.
          Next week I will begin to paint the boys in the Viking Family.

THIS WAS A WEEK FOR PROBLEM SOLVING AS MUCH AS IT WAS FOR PAINTING. The visual story seemed to be incomplete each morning that I began to paint. I went back to dozens of reference photos of Viking ships and any references showing the docking of Viking ships. As you can see I have added a ship between the family and the original ship. It is not finished, but I am happy with what it does for the visual story. I have other small image additions planned. I will leave those a surprise.
          This week brings FIVE scheduled presentations about the painting in process and a power point showing the whole process from the beginning. Four presentations at the Museum: High School children on Tuesday and Wednesday, 1:50 - 2:50 p.m., a PUBLIC presentation Tuesday evening from 6 - 7:30 p.m. Cub Scouts, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. 
          Thursday evening, November 13, 3:30-7:30p.m. AUTUMN MARKET FALL FUNDRAISER at Central Square, Glenwood, MN. Come, have fun, and support the Square! 

• Silent auction with lots of great items. 
  
• Vendor exhibition. market for those bargain shoppers. 
• Italian dinner served from 4:30–6:30pm for $8.00 (Caesar salad, garlic bread, and spaghetti & meatballs). 
• Myron Sahlberg's Viking project on display.
• Myron will be speaking at 6:00pm.
• This is a fantastic opportunity to see what's happening at Central Square and to see the quality of art and education we are building in Glenwood!