Well, Thanksgiving vacation is over and now it's time to dig in and get ready for my show opening on Friday. But before I let the holiday go, I have to share the artwork of my darling granddaughter Baylee. It is a picture of me, my dog Twilly, and all the other faces around the Thanksgiving table... Apparently not everyone was happy. How precious is it that a child can be so honest. So often we try to portray things as we wish they were. But children see things differently. I can't say how many times I watched her little wheels churning and yearned to climb inside that little head and see what was going on in there. I have been inspired by her work to be as honest as I can in my own.
Beach Bikes
I don't often see beach bikers but these girls made it look like so much fun! It reminded me of the days when I rode bikes with my cousin. She was like a sister and lived just down the road. We grew up on a farm west of nowhere so there were no beach routes. But the laughter and the secrets and the dreams we shared on those bikes will never be forgotten.
Beach Boy
Well, here he is... my little beach boy. He makes my toes curl with excitement. I want to get down to the beach and help him collect rocks and stomp in puddles with him. Capturing him on film was such a joy. He ran from puddle to puddle to puddle. I was afraid that by the time I got to him, asked his dad for permission to take his picture, and got settled in, he would have run out of energy or interest. I was so wrong. His dad said he'd been running across the puddles for over half and hour and I was there with him for nearly as long. It was a rare moment, such as this one, when he would stop and find a treasure, and then be off running again.
I often wonder why all of that energy is allowed in those tiny bodies when my body can't seem to get enough energy to keep up with my own schedule. Watching the carefree child always stirs something deep inside that causes me to yearn for that same freedom to run and laugh and explore at will. Some days I let myself be that child. We should all do that a little more often...
The Moving of the Water
My little guy is picking a stone up out of the water. Painting water is very interesting. We tend to think of water as always being blue. Water, however, is colorless. It simply reflects whatever is above it. Because most of the time that is blue sky, we tend to think of water as always being blue. There is almost no blue in this puddle, however. So finding the colors that really are there is a fun challenge.
Batting Practice
I had a day out and found myself at a park. Three siblings were playing baseball and after watching and keeping score for my own boys' Little League games for 20 years I recognized that the older two where helping the younger one with his batting. I anticipated quite a bit of time to get some good sketches so I settled in with my sketchbook and pencil and began to observe.
The young batter had a routine of motions he went through that were oh so familiar. The tapping of the bat on the ground in front of himself, swinging it a few times for good measure, then choking up on the bat and preparing for the swing.
The sister was pitching and the older brother was catching. I got a quick sketch of the catcher and then began to really focus on the batter. I was excited to have these repeated motions because I felt I could get a more in-depth sketch done. I did a quick sketch to warm up and just settled in to a more serious one when suddenly they called it quits and when home. Whaaaaat?!?!??! I wanted to tell them they needed a much longer practice session. But I was already worried they thought I was a stranger watching them so intently. Perhaps that's why they called it quits after only a few minutes. Alas, there was not to be done. They were gone.
I did enjoy the nostalgia of the moment though... I was so ready for baseball days to come to an end after 20 years. But now that they are gone, I do miss them so. Just like the anticipated long practice, we never have the time we think we will. Carpe Diem!
Back in the Studio
I finally got back in the studio after almost a week. Breaks like this can be good for me, but they are hard on me as well. It's funny how much mental and emotional effort it takes to get myself in front of the canvas. And yet, to not do it is far more painful.
So I jumped back in to Beach Cherub and got a good start on her face. There's more work to do, but too little time. I am off to a fun adventure today, though. So hopefully I'll have some great references to bring back to the studio.