click twice to enlarge to full size.
it’s BIG and has lots of detail.

wordless wednesday

RIP Scrappy Doodle Doo

November 2006 – July 2010
Cause of death – Lupus

Scrappy is best remembered for his love of food, belly rubs and head scratches, for chasing and retrieving paper airplanes, for yowling very deeply and loudly, for being zen and meditating in front of the lamp, for always being hungry, for falling asleep with his head in the water bowl, for fighting death to the bitter end, and for how much he loved his Papa Greg.

Greg rescued Scrappy when we lived in West Virginia. He came to us sickly, and abused. We always thought someone had kicked him in the side because he had one little rib that stuck out. And, every time we ran our hand down his body we could feel it.

He came to us covered in feces, with a runny nose and eyes, and a cough. He was very skinny, timid, and for the first few weeks we didn’t know he was in the apartment. He hid under the dresser in the bedroom most of the time. But, slowly he came to trust us, and the bond between him and Greg grew very strong. It became clear to me that he was Greg’s cat. He only tolerated me..when he absolutely had to. lol I was good at giving belly rubs though. I’d ask him if he wanted one, and he would assume the position – flop down on his back, belly up, and close his eyes in anticipation. He was a tool.

After a few months with us, he started to have trouble with his eyes, again. That was the start of a very long illness. The vet in WV treated him with eye drops, but something didn’t seem right. He would get better for a few days, and then have an eye infection again. So, back he’d go, and get more drops. It wasn’t until we moved to KS that he was diagnosed with Lupus. I cried for days after hearing the news. Out of all our pets, he was the baby.

He lived longer than any of us expected. The KS vet gave up on him over a year ago. She tried drug after expensive drug, and nothing seemed to work. He got sicker. So, we decided to take him off all medication last spring, and let nature take its course. He actually got better for a few weeks, but we knew he wouldn’t live long. However, he certainly lived far longer than we ever expected.

I didn’t get to say goodbye to him. He died in his sleep. So, I’ll just end this with a message to him…

See you later, Buddy.
Good kitty.
Yeah.

I think it’s finished now. I may change my mind when I look at her with fresh eyes tomorrow, but for now…

Look! No more gravy drool!! I took Christy’s advice, and did a wash in that dark shadow area below her mouth, and I think it looks much better. Thanks, Christy!!

My friend, Wanda Marie posted this photo of herself the other day in this entry on her blog. When I saw it I had an immediate reaction, and knew I had to paint her. I just love the expression on her face, and that she is wearing the scarf on her head..even though she said she looks like an old lady. hahaha

So, I sketched her out on canvas board early yesterday morning, and set to work. Wanda is a beach going doll, so her skin is quite tan. I am trying to capture all the different tones in her skin, and how the sun is hitting and shadowing her face. She has some dark brown, pink, a little red, and of course, real dark where the shadows are.

And, as much as I love the white scarf, for the sake of the painting, white wasn’t working for me..even after I added blue for sky. So, I painted on a couple strokes of red paint, and knew there was no stopping me at that point.

She’s looking a bit scary in this shot. Her left eye is really wonky looking, but I fixed it somewhat in the next shot.

So, she became the red scarf wearing beach babe. Red is definitely her color, don’t you think? I still have a lot of work to do on her glasses and eyes. Her left eye is still a little too droopy. But, it’s getting there. I need to make her lenses darker, but still keep a bit of eye showing. Easier said then done. I’ll keep trying. Stay tuned for more updates. I’ll have video for this one..hopefully soon.

I’m also thinking of toning down the shadows. I know how dark it is in the photo, but I’m not convinced it’s working for the painting. She almost looks like she is drooling brown gravy all over her chin. lol Sorry, Wanda..I know you said you’re an old lady, but I don’t think you’re that old. hahahaha

So, you wanna see what I got for my birthday?

I’ve been telling Greg for a while now that I want to paint something for the house on big canvas. So, he bought me two in different sizes, and a bunch of new paint brushes. I’m a little nervous about the bigger canvas. It will be the first time I work that large. But, honestly, I would work bigger than that all the time, if it wasn’t for the hassle of shipping it out to customers. I am scared/lazy/nervous about trying to pack a large canvas, and have it shipped and arrive without a problem. I know a lot of artists who do it, but the thought of it complete paralyzes me. And, I don’t think people would appreciate paying extra shipping to have UPS or FedEx do it for me.

I haven’t decided what I’m going to paint on the canvases, yet. But, I tore into the new brushes, and started using them immediately. Love all of them, and I needed new ones desperately.

And, I know this entry is getting really long, but I can’t resist showing you my cake. I gave out slices of it to my FB friends last night, so had to share with my blog readers also. mmm..cake! Considering I almost got the styrofoam cake display instead of the cake itself, I’m feeling pretty lucky. Greg asked the cake decorator to write my name on the cake display. Is that not funny??!! He thought the styrofoam cake was real. lol Lucky for me, they didn’t sell him that one, huh?

Okay, I’ve got to get back to my Wanda painting. Hope you’re having a great Monday.

i have been missing taking photographs lately.
like, seriously missing it.

that is all.

oh, and hot chocolate.
haven’t had in a a few months now.
yeah, i miss it.

but not as much as taking photographs.

so, what’s missing in your life? or are you keeping a good balance?

wordless wednesday

…because I have a slight obsession with bags.

See more of her bags and other fabulous handmade items at Tilt Creations on ArtFire
and stop by her blog,  Crafts, kids, home and life.

I had to put a finishing touch on my Scarface/Al Pacino painting before listing it. I forgot to paint his watch. Oops. I noticed it just in time, and got a little color in there.

See the boho bracelets I’m wearing? Fabulous, huh?!! I love her stuff. You can get yours from Sally at Bohem Market at ridiculously low prices. I’m talking like 10 for $1.00.

scarface
Al Pacino painting

So, why did I paint Scarface? Hm..I’ve been trying to ask myself why I paint what I paint lately. Not that I need a reason to paint someone, but it might make a blog post more interesting. Or not. heh

So, Al. Why did I paint him? I can’t say it’s because I love the movie because I don’t. But, I love someone who loves the movie, and that’s enough for me. I’m pretty easy that way. Whenever anyone says, “Hey, why don’t you paint so-and-so. I really like him/her”, I’m usually game. I like a challenge. Can I do it? Won’t know until I try. Sometimes I fall flat on my face, and other times it works out okay.

And really, staring at Al Pacino for hours wasn’t such a bad thing, y’know? It’s not like he’s hard on the eyes. meowwww!

9×12 on canvas board

This is an old photo from a couple months back.

Scarface – Al Pacino original painting is available here

8×10 prints are also available

Time is the substance from which I am made.
Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river;
It is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger;
It is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.

~Jorge Luis Borges

14 reasons why I haven’t been updating my blog:

1. i forgot

2. because it wasn’t on my to-do list, and i’ve been good about keeping a to-do list lately.

3.  but, really, it’s been too hot to blog.

4. and then my Pepere (grandfather) got sick, and all i could think about was him. if someone had asked me when i was going to update my blog then, i probably would have said, “blog? what blog?” because it’s true, people do matter more than anything else.

5. then he passed away

6. and, i’ve been wallowing in memories and flashbacks. but surprisingly, i realized something amazing that i had never known before. the man lived 94 years (i knew this part), and i don’t have one bad memory or story to tell about him (this is the part that surprised me). not one! and, i’m not saying that because he’s dead, and i’ve put him on a high and mighty pedestal. i’m saying that because it’s the truth. i tried to think of one..just one thing that was bad, sad, negative, but i couldn’t. all my memories are dear, kind, loving, and sweet, and for that, i am forever grateful. it’s hard to be sad when i think about it this way.

7. i was going to update last Saturday or Sunday, but I made zucchini bread instead.

8. then i had to eat the zucchini bread, and my fingers were sticky and i had no time.

9. but, really, I had nothing to say

10. and i didn’t feel like taking photos or looking through old ones. and, every entry *must* have a photo. my rule that must be obeyed.

11. so, i spent all my time over at listography (thank you for the link, Jan). i am addicted to reading random lists because at least someone was accomplishing something, even if it wasn’t me.

12. and i watched work of art, which i’m beginning to think is a huge waste of time. i imagine i’m going to be embarrassed to admit i watched the show at all in a couple months. because really.. ho hum. do we really need another “reality” show? but right now, it’s a train wreck i can’t look away from because it’s the only show on tv for artists. and, greg and i make a date night out of wednesday night, of sorts. so, i’ll keep watching, this season anyway. but, i swear if miles wins, i won’t watch it again next season..if there is another season. go ryan, abdi, and mark!! (in that order, yes)

13. yesterday, i tried on my black shirt and it was tight. i’ve gained weight (see #8). so i had to take it off, and that depressed me. i can’t write or blog when i’m depressed. all i can do is eat.

14. and, probably the biggest reason i haven’t updated my blog is..I didn’t want to. hm..imagine that! but, i think that has passed now ‘cuz it’s sunday night, and here i am. i’ll try to get my act together for the week ahead.

Original Gritty Jane painting now available in my ArtFire shop.

If you’d like to see how I painted it, jump over to my YouTube channel.