Whites Almost Finished on Third Company. . . Whew!

Here is a photograph, showing where we stand with the 3rd Company of von Flickenhoffer's (currently masquerading as du Lepp's) Fusiliers. I'm getting reasonably good at approximating creases and shadows in cloth with my two-tone tan/white approach to approximating clothing spun from natural, undied (undyed?) wool. The rest of the painting should fall into place quickly since all of it involves relative small areas of coverage: mid-blue facings, muskets, musket barrels, crossbelts, a few straps, and so forth.

And here is a close-up of the company NCO along with the next General/ADC pair, who hover impetuously in the background, awaiting their basecoat of black gesso. I'm thinking of giving them uniforms based on those worn by Russian generals of the mid-18th century just to shake things up a bit. In any case, these two figures will provide a nice break between the third and fourth companies of the 80-figure fusilier regiment, which looks like it will be completed by early May. That little milestone will mark the near completion of the Electorate of Zichenau's army, if I have figured everything (ha, ha) correctly, except for that third squadron of plastic Revell hussars. Charge!!!

Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down h...

Having a "No Day". . .

F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day." A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day. I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. These have stood waiting untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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