This week’s words are from an unlikely source. Last Wednesday my husband had just gotten off a night shift at work where he watched the movie FUBAR (again). He mentioned this line out of the movie and i thought it would be a perfect addition to my Wednesday words. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to put it- especially coming from the character in the movie who has "nut cancer" (his words not mine).
On the painting front, I also had to ‘keep on given’er’. I had painted the little girls eyes quite an intense blue so i thought i had better check the reference photos to see how blue they actually are. Well, low and behold they aren’t blue at all but BROWN. Thank goodness I double checked that because that would have been a tad bit embarrassing. It’s an honest mistake though because the pictures are all in a certain kind of light that just really shaded her eyes. and you honestly just can’t tell for sure if they are brown or blue. My eyes are blue so i guess I always gravitate to that colour first. Painter’s narcissism I’m going to call it. The way i paint eyes, they are the easiest thing to change in my paintings and right now- she has the most beautiful brown eyes (easy as that). I’ll be posting a photo later on today once I’ve had a chance to complete the piece. YES, i said COMPLETE.
I’m so excited.
We also had our first dump of snow yesterday and Paige, her dad and Piper the dog had a ball playing in it. It’s not the dry flaky type snow that you get on the prairies but wet, sticky, slushy stuff that is perfect for snowmen and not so great to shovel (because it weighs a ton). I took a lot of pictures and will be sure to post them all in Flickr soon and a few choice ones here on the blog. Keep your eyes peeled!
Hugs and snowballs,
~jen
I’ve started working on a commision that is due as a very special christmas present for someone. This is the first portrait i have done in a year and only the second I’ve done in the last two years. MAN, I feel a little rusty. Part of my problem is a little thing called Paige. I love her to death but she always wants to be right into whatever I’m doing. This is usually okay unless I’m dealing with a hot stove, sharp knives and commisioned watercolor paintings that require expensive paint brushes. I explained who the painting was for (my neighbor Laurie) and how she would be so upset if I something happened to this painting, and so far i believe we have an understanding. She looks at it but touches nothing… of course I know she’s three and it’s only a matter of time before her curiosity gets the better of her. So I’ve been putting it out of sight when I’m not working on it. The fact that I can’t sit down and work on it until it is completely finished also makes things difficult because that’s the way i do things- until they are done- or else they live in the land of the incomplete forever. Of course this is different, it is a commision- which leaves me no choice but to complete it. I want to complete it, I’m having fun, but I want to complete it ALL- RIGHT- NOW. This is why i don’t paint anymore (or read, or barely ever sew) just because I find it too hard to do it with little hands in the way. Little hands that tend to make you start, stop, start, stop, start… UGH, stop.
Yesterday, Ken and I went for the annual Christmas gift hunt. What we had planned on being an all day, all stress event turned out to last a little less than 30 minutes. Our very first store was a gold mine and we found something for nearly every person on our list! Just like I was last year, we were a shopping tornado and Costco didn’t know what hit it. I still have several items to pick up for my kids stockings etc. but I’m so relieved to be done the meat of my shopping. Unlike the rest of my gender, I’m not a HUGE fan of shopping- especially around holiday time. Crowds cause me to break out and break down, it ain’t pretty. I know my husband and Suz are raising their eyebrows to that admission but the only time I enjoy shopping is when I’m with Suz (and my sister or mom- but they aren’t here) and by golly do we both enjoy shopping together- my debit card holds the battle scars.
Recently I decided to start teaching Paige some Christmas songs. We always read books and sing a couple songs before bedtime and the few that we’ve been reading and singing are getting a little tired in my world. Jingle bells was the first one that came to mind (of course!) and Paige caught on quickly due to the repetition in the song. One night she stopped me in mid-song and said, "That’s my favourite part, ‘Making spirits bright’."
