tag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110Michael R. Barrick(a.k.a Atratus)Michael2026-06-13T21:54:23Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2109052I just figured out when and where this picture of my dad (centre front) is from. This is the…2026-06-13T21:54:23Z2026-06-13T21:54:23Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/724270298_18591510577048782_4485969888985544337_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>I just figured out when and where this picture of my dad (centre front) is from. This is the crew he went to Italy with, but it can't be Italy because the Canadian Ram tank they are standing in front of was not used in Italy. I have a picture of dad and the guy to his right standing beside a Sherman, which likely is Italy. The Rams were used in England for training, and my dad was reassigned as a training instructor when they figured out that he was under age, but this can't be from then because the guy behind my dad didn't survive Italy. Turns out that when they were in England between Dieppe in August 1942 and being sent to Italy in July 1943, there was a very brief window between March 1943 and May 1943 where the 14th Canadian Army Regiment (Calgary Regiment) was given Rams to replace the Churchills they had been using and before the decision to switch to Shermans for North Africa and Italy. So this picture <em>has</em> to be from spring 1943 and my dad is 16 years-old in it.<br />#family #familyhistory #wwii</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2109052" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2108917Welcome to my nightmare....2026-06-12T20:51:12Z2026-06-12T20:51:12Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/720378132_18591187183048782_8226686964280959816_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Welcome to my nightmare....</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2108917" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2108420I made an interesting mistake. I wanted to adjust a line *over* part of the frame that was…2026-06-12T16:30:28Z2026-06-12T16:30:28Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/722986407_18591162379048782_1301421370478409553_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>I made an interesting mistake. I wanted to adjust a line <em>over</em> part of the frame that was already textured. I built up a bunch of crappy gel that I never liked and weirdly found a way to blend the flat foreground over the textured background. It cost me some of the detail work that I'll have to redo, but c'est la guerre.<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2108420" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2108361This has inadvertently become a larger experiment in texture than planned. As usual, there's a…2026-06-11T17:49:18Z2026-06-11T17:49:18Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/723014929_18590890255048782_3651119723002919409_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>This has inadvertently become a larger experiment in texture than planned. As usual, there's a lot more I would like to go on about, but the crushing reality of rent and the double edged sword of my ineptitude of navigating both the academic and commercial realms of the art world hangs over me. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2108361" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2108102I spent most of the morning in a waiting room wondering how people can navigate life to…2026-06-10T22:13:32Z2026-06-10T22:13:32Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/721463421_18590687665048782_7619523091771059048_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>I spent most of the morning in a waiting room wondering how people can navigate life to adulthood and not know how a "take a number" queue works. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2108102" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2107850Put the suggestion of some of the seams on this morning. These are intended to mostly get lost…2026-06-09T17:48:51Z2026-06-09T17:48:51Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/719490630_18590320642048782_2553144257982238933_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Put the suggestion of some of the seams on this morning. These are intended to mostly get lost in the detail of the pattern on the fabric, which all has to be done, along with the skin, before I can really get on to the fur, because it's not like I can paint around individual hairs.<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2107850" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2107560Made a little progress on the corset this morning. It's challenging because I *don't* want to…2026-06-08T18:50:11Z2026-06-08T18:50:11Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/721089632_18590054857048782_5889063695350870876_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Made a little progress on the corset this morning. It's challenging because I <em>don't</em> want to get as mimetic as the Baroque paintings I'm drawing inspiration from for the fur and have it be more in the loose realm of mid-20th century illustration. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2107560" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2107191Probably will take more time to make this post than I actually spent painting, but at least I…2026-06-05T16:59:19Z2026-06-05T16:59:19Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/717582468_18589229371048782_84545123179947000_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Probably will take more time to make this post than I actually spent painting, but at least I did something.<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2107191" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2107117This morning I started putting the structure of the corset together while thinking about…2026-06-04T17:51:24Z2026-06-04T17:51:24Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/716210270_18588917881048782_910503726303764154_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>This morning I started putting the structure of the corset together while thinking about my ancestor that worked in the court of the wife of the previous King Charles.<br />#painting #process #acrylic #acrylicpainting #familyhistory</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2107117" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2106726Spruced up the hubcaps on my Mini. Two of the centres were missing when I got the car. These…2026-06-02T22:39:23Z2026-06-02T22:39:23Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/712523429_18588398200048782_9077191963819558841_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Spruced up the hubcaps on my Mini. Two of the centres were missing when I got the car. These will go with the aftermarket taillights I have planned, but I can't afford to do everything at once. I got a new windshield and a bunch of trim didn't survive the swap. That's getting fixed tomorrow, but with OEM parts that don't come cheap.</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2106726" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2106369The very beginning of making the fur look furry this morning and the specific inspiration from the…2026-06-02T17:18:00Z2026-06-03T14:31:41Zpublic0<p><img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/710831077_18588324616048782_3859941241380606599_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>The very beginning of making the fur look furry this morning and the specific inspiration from the <a href="https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/">National Gallery</a> in London that I am unlikely to approach but endeavour to nonetheless.<br />#painting #process #inspiration #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div></p>
<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2106369" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2106187Because today is the 100th anniversary of his birth, I went digging around in the Veterans…2026-06-02T11:04:12Z2026-06-02T11:04:12Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/711269336_18588206614048782_858022253040942426_n.jpg" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Because today is the 100th anniversary of his birth, I went digging around in the Veterans Affairs archive to see what I could find of my dad's service to king and country in WW II. Here, for example is a record of him being removed from active service ("S.O.S." = "struck off strength") and sent to hospital ("C.A.C." = "casualty clearing station" i.e. mobile medical unit, "on adm to hosp" = "on admission to hospital".) Note the date, "25 Sep 43." He was born June 1, 1926 - injured in combat at 17 years old. He lied about his age and joined up at 15.</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2106187" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2106026100 years ago today this fellow, to whom I bear a passing resemblance, was…2026-06-02T11:00:26Z2026-06-02T17:48:09Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/715058239_18588125770048782_5049015753142696800_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>100 years ago today this fellow, to whom I bear a passing resemblance, was born.<br />З днем народження, dad.</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2106026" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2105666Trying something I haven't tried before.2026-06-02T11:00:17Z2026-06-02T11:00:17Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/06/712543979_18588026458048782_7779884142395192488_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Trying something I haven't tried before. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2105666" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2105516Fighting the enshitification blues with a paintbrush and Benny Goodman…2026-05-30T18:42:43Z2026-05-30T18:42:43Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/710040474_18587384548048782_4108077661042758507_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Fighting the enshitification blues with a paintbrush and Benny Goodman <br />#painting #process #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2105516" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2105264Top three mistakes made by artists:2026-05-29T15:32:02Z2026-05-30T17:45:24Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/709821524_18587057353048782_8520680691793874777_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Top three mistakes made by artists:<br />1.) not practicing <br />2.) listening to shit advice<br />3.) getting pretentious enough to give unsolicited advice. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2105264" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2104855Got that ear problem sorted. I'd write more, but no one reads the captions. Or if they do,…2026-05-28T17:34:54Z2026-05-28T17:34:54Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/710157664_18586790536048782_7303491713072629835_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Got that ear problem sorted. I'd write more, but no one reads the captions. Or if they do, they don't let on.<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2104855" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2104775How to paint an ear in the 21st century:2026-05-26T17:58:00Z2026-05-26T17:58:00Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/706849870_18586194877048782_6369113089041533271_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>How to paint an ear in the 21st century: <br />Try not to think "ear", just look at the light and shadow. Think about what you are going to write in your social media post. Have your train of thought interrupted by an alarm on your phone. Look at what you have done and hate it. Try to fix it. Get interrupted by a text. Too late, now that paint is too dry. Start to paint over it. Get another text. Give up because you've completely lost the headspace to "just look at light and shadow" and you've got to get to work to barely make enough money to pay rent. Acquiesce to the futility.<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2104775" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2104383Nothing to say2026-05-25T18:00:52Z2026-05-25T18:00:52Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/706611502_18585911221048782_5541111505718128130_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Nothing to say<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2104383" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2103920Last Thursday was vyshyvanka day. I forgot to post this picture I took on my way out the…2026-05-23T17:12:43Z2026-05-23T17:12:43Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/704838490_18585308365048782_1648459994769175609_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Last Thursday was vyshyvanka day. I forgot to post this picture I took on my way out the door.</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2103920" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2103653Per long-standing personal tradition: new shoe…2026-05-23T03:11:59Z2026-05-23T03:11:59Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/706850805_18585136936048782_6703293161354717370_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Per long-standing personal tradition: new shoe post.</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2103653" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2103450Foreshortened fingers are always a special challenge. I'm still just blocking in,…2026-05-21T17:43:13Z2026-05-21T17:43:13Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/704327577_18584745217048782_2841113000280581564_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Foreshortened fingers are always a special challenge. I'm still just blocking in, they'll (hopefully) get better later.<br />Now it's off to work at the gallery where I'll be continuing hours of work already done to protect our collection and archive website from being bogged down to death by unethical, non-standards-compliant bots run by "reputable" AI companies scraping for image model data. Cultural institutions pay for your prompts. Genuine artists and researchers are left in the cold when "AI" bots crash library and archive websites. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting #aisucks</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2103450" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2103123Just a little more blocking-in. Little 5–15 minute sorties with everything recorded a.)…2026-05-20T22:24:54Z2026-05-20T22:24:54Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/704827237_18584525551048782_4912750193752030252_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>Just a little more blocking-in. Little 5â15 minute sorties with everything recorded a.) because it helps me see what I am doing, and b.) the inevitable Ñunt that thinks everything on the Internet that exceeds their ineptitude is the product of diffusion tensor image generation. I'll make an old Chinese takeout bag into something interesting, turning garbage into art rather than accept plagiarised garbage from mass-harvested art. <br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2103123" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2102865A few painterly scribbles this morning to conjure her…2026-05-19T18:49:40Z2026-05-19T18:49:40Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/703745872_18584179489048782_4507866628614020614_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>A few painterly scribbles this morning to conjure her ghost<br />#process #painting #acrylic #acrylicpainting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2102865" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2022-11-04:4055110:2102582This is what I have decided on for this exercise. I was blown away by the furs in several of…2026-05-16T19:55:27Z2026-05-16T19:55:27Zpublic0<p><html>
<img src="https://www.mbarrick.com/livejournal/2026/05/701420617_18583350211048782_8245642739418600039_n.webp" style="max-width:586px;" /><br /><div>This is what I have decided on for this exercise. I was blown away by the furs in several of the portraits in the <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=nationalgallery'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=nationalgallery'><b>nationalgallery</b></a></span> in London and want to give it a try. This is my own original photo from 2012. The model is <span style='white-space: nowrap;'><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=melodymangler'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=melodymangler'><b>melodymangler</b></a></span> <br />#process #painting</div>
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<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=mbarrick&ditemid=2102582" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments