Spring It ON 2014-W13

Don't get me wrong, it's been above freezing and very melty lately.  All good, even though everywhere looks wet and dirty.  (Snow cover has one thing to be said for it.)   On Sunday, Chicago expects the warmest weather in months and the citizenry stands ready.  Us who live on the lakefront cannot know beforehand whether we will participate.  The price of a chilly spring is what we exchange for our cooler summers and warmer winters.  Great deal, but now the bill comes due.  A good westerly wind can grant a reprieve though, so please cross your fingers on our behalf!

Last week while writing the blog I wasn't enthused by that day's painting.  Since then I've come to enjoy its quirky enthusiasm.  Maybe there will be a fourth or fifth in that Mrs. Black series.  And speaking of new series (as we now are) I've begun one.  Perhaps two, but first things first.  Scottish I am, and therefore mad for plaid.  Tartans, actually, but that doesn't rhyme so well.  What I painted couldn't qualify as tartan regardless, so plaid is is.  Through the plaid series I look forward to exploring color and value effects on rectilinear subdivision of plane space.  For you, I just hope they look pretty in the way that stained glass can do.  I'll leave you in suspense concerning new series two, but not for long.  There's also a p.s. with two additional fun facts on the plaid thing.  And hey, thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate it.

Mad for Plaid II

p.s.  in my introductory watercolor class way back when, the first homework assignment was to paint a plaid using both our brushes and all 7 colors on the palette.  Talk about pressure!  So that was Mad for Plaid I, and who knows where in the archives it lurks.  Fun fact 2:  in Scotland, a plaid is a piece of tartan fabric worn as a sash over the shoulder.

 

Bloody Hell 2014-W12

My mother's grandparents emigrated from Poland.  Once he'd earned his citizenship, her grandfather voted in every election and he dressed in a suit and tie to do so.  Maybe that was common then, I can't say.  But like him, I take our duty to vote seriously.  If you don't vote, keep your yap shut about your complaints concerning America.  Our state held primary elections earlier this week.  I confess I put less diligence than usual into vetting the slate of judges.  Otherwise most candidates were unopposed so it all went quickly.

At my precinct we vote in the vintage school auditorium and then stick our gigantic ballots into a cardboard sheath, whence we feed them into some big lockbox—which is motorized to suck them in—and consequently (if you are squeamish skip to the next paragraph now.  do it now.)  during the intake process I got a prolonged and exquisite, robotic paper cut.  Good gracious!

Being in a public place of some propriety, I felt obliged to chew down a litany of bad bad language.  I declined the offer of an emergency bandage, instead wrapping my pinkie in the voting receipt and beelining to the door so I could start swearing.  Only, it seems school had just gotten out and so while amidst the schoolchildren I had to keep the cork in my piehole.  One speedwalk home later, I washed out the cut and so refreshed it enough that I finally got those swears out.  Sweet relief.

Regular readers may recall I contemplated a few variations on a purple-yellow portrait (each also having some blue and orangey-browny) to explore different violets and yellows.  Today's uncooperative and underwhelming violet reminded me why it is not on my usual palette.  With the series wrapped up (I decided) let me say: thanks to Mrs. Black, and to you I say enjoy the first weekend of spring!

Mrs. Black III

Krappy Kat 2014-W11

Cat Study

Almost none of my painting exercise this morning worked as I wished, so I ended up with another cat clunker.  Not as very bad as W08 tho.  As for this effort, I'll think about other approaches and make another go.

Should that too fail, at least the bad kitty trio will be complete and thus the curse shall break!

Normally I don't invest much energy entitling works but I was all over the map with thoughts today...  pole cat ha ha, ninja imagery, ....modern variant of Cheshire cat, notable absence of cat hat.  Maybe as this isn't the painting of destiny, the name is eluding me.

Speaking of elusion, the real-life cat depicted sat on the pole longer than it planned.  Seems that the local Fire Department arrived and declined to rescue that cat, claiming they are smart animals and it could figure out how to get down; eventually the citizenry took the initiative. 

I can't contradict the Fire Dept. on this one, and in the end all was happiness.  And on the theme of happiness, you have an enjoyable and safe celebration of St Patrick's Day!

Like the Fastest Jet 2014-W10

Tempus fugit.  Time flies.

Boy, does it ever!  My baby brother turns 50 and has qualified for AARP.  I have vivid memories of the final months of my mother's pregnancy — probably down to the Kennedy assassination — and I recall my other brother and I got shuttled off to the Malloys during the "confinement".  I'm not sure we ever saw the Malloys after that.

Back then we used funny words like "confinement" instead of "delivery" and diapers were made of cloth.  Take that, Maytag.  My mother thought it would be a good idea if I learned how to change a baby so although I was a first grader and diaper pins were as big as my hand, change that baby I did.  Usually without jabbing.  There would be plenty of time later to scar the boy, as brothers are wont to do.  We fought a lot, about whatever was handy.

After as much of our current tussle as she could bear, our mother would often play the Circle of Love card.  I love you little brother, and you are fond of me.  Let us be kind to one another, as brothers ought to be.  Forced to recite this while hand in hand, I'm surprised none of us has permanent knuckle damage from the vicious vice-grip handholds underneath the muttered poem.  Good times.  I don't think we fought any more than your average three boy household.  And of course, I could pick on my little brother but you hadn't better try.

My brothers and I, we're orphans now and undeniably mature men.  Possibly by some measures we are senior citizens, if only just.  But like many, we now know that children keep you young even if paradoxically they are the sure cause of many wrinkles and much grey hair.  Still, at least some of the wrinkles formed from eyes crinkled with the laughter they have brung.

My nephews are still young and a joy to me.  I have so many stories to tell them about our familial collective experiences growing up and introduce them to ancestors and assorted crazy relatives who have gone before.  Much more than that (and despite that regrettably my brothers and I are now cast as tribal elders) I look forward to the new memories I'll forge with our youngest generation.  Fingers crossed, I have lots of time for it all!

If you are a young person reading this, I can only say:  enjoy it while it lasts.  Which isn't half as long as you think.

Meanwhile, I ended up today with a painting I think will go into the Women of a Certain Age series.  She is famous and you know her but you have to guess.  As a clue, I put one of her recipes below the picture.  Enjoy one, the other, or both!

Paula Chickengöbbler

Healthy Fruit Salad:  Empty 1# bag of Skittles in large bowl.  Pour large bottle of Ranch Dressing over, and stir.  Serves 2.

Can You Spot 10 Differences? 2014-W09

I got a couple new paints delivered—one purple, one yellow—and wanted to see them in action so I thought back two weeks to a mostly purple and yellow painting*.

And I made a variation today.  Here they are, side by side like sisters.  There are lots of differences you can identify...  it will be just like a doctor's office magazine game!

In the two weeks since I did her, I've learned the original looks greenish at night.  We'll see how the twin does there.


One difference is that I spent at least twice as much time on the painting today and that shows.   But I was on a mission, wasn't I?  Not much learned about the yellow today, but the purple handles very differently from the one I used before.  Some good some not ideal.  Fun though.  I have another yellow/purple pair in a palette I don't tap into much but I think a second variation will be forthcoming.  Thanks for stopping by!

1st Variation on Mrs. Black

*Both also use an orange and a blue; it's hard to see the "orange" hair in the original painting tho