"A Certain Age" 2013-W23

Having studied a foreign language (or five), I'm always fascinated by idioms and wonder by what path did some come to acquire their non-literal meaning.  Why does the Mexican Spanish equivalent of "better half" translate as "half of the orange"?  And in a similar way I appreciate euphemisms, of which today's posting title is a fine example.  "A certain age".  What a nice way to say "not young"... not officially "elderly".

More or less it's written the same in French except the "a" gets a funny hat:  un certain âge.  I don't know why as I haven't studied French, and if I want to learn it then I'm running out of time for I am a man of certain age.  Most of my friends are also of that certain age, and like myself may have come to accept that on the matter of your age, you can deny it or you can defy it. 

Last week I painted the first in an intermittent series of fashionable women d'un certain âge who likely believe they are defying — though others might render a verdict of: denying.  Still, one can appreciate their immaculate dress and skillfully applied makeup.  Lots of slap as they would say in Britain.  Ultimately,  I perceive this embalmed-chic look as legitimate, albeit unintentional performance art.  In painting the Women of a Certain Age (WCA) series, I probably mean to mock the deniers, but I will slip in one or two defiers whom I celebrate.  I leave it to you to decide which those might be.

That explains last week's painting, whereas this week I did a landscape for my nephew that he requested a couple years back.  It's a view of a lesser lighthouse in Maine.  My first ever piece on panorama sized paper, so good for me...  I can check that off my list while I'm still d'un certain âge.  Enjoy!

Seaview toward Ram Island Ledge Light