Dear Hot Chocolate;


  I first want to thank you for your assistance in rising my status up to that of "interesting and cool personage" in the teenage world.  Today when I accompanied "Two of Four" to the bus stop while sitting on the curb, a young teenaged girl approached and said hi and proceeded to talk of school events.  On past occasions when "Two" took the bus we were the ones to initiate the polite good morning "Hello."  After a few attempts at conversation with the young woman on various days, seeing an extreme lack of interest I just gave up.


  You will recall from our past conversation that this is the young lady that grew visibly (and verbally)  excited when she found out that "Two" was the cousin of "Hot Chocolate Jr."


Although I'm not so arrogant to think that she is actually interested in what I thought of the school play when she asked this morning, as I am aware if given enough time, she would eventually steer the conversation to Jr., it was kind of nice to pretend for a while that teenagers were human and not alien creatures sent to this planet for the sole purpose of tormenting us.


  How did I repay you for this kindness?  Well, let's use your own words from your email:


So....I drove past 4 different coffee shops.....apparently rudely crashed Mr. P's  conference call .....  but ultimately...despite my efforts... spent my Thursday morning alone....

  Unfortunately I forgot about a library trip scheduled that I was volunteering at that morning.  Also, due to a fight I got into with a by-law officer dropping my kids off at school I found myself unable to have the appropriate amount of time to "drop by" with my explanations, not to mention the fact that I didn't actually even know it was Thursday as today I asked my neighbour about events that were occuring for her today thinking it was Tuesday when it's Friday.
 
  Now, if you will excuse me, I must go and take my medication and ingest a suitable amount of caffeine and chocolate in hopes of returning my brain to some semblance of normality.  Yes, yes, I know, I can always dream.
 
Fondly, Humbly and Apologetically Yours,
 
Perp

The Day Kurt Left and My Blog Died

I haven't had a decent number of comments since Kurt's last post.  NOT to belittle the kind souls who have left a word or two.  I'm just saying since Kurt went away, it's been a little slow.  Kurt says he will return May 1st.  I have no idea where he is or what he is up to, but I'm sure he would not have left knowing my blog would go down in a blazing ball of flames........Okay, maybe he would, it matters not since it's not actually up to him to keep my blog interesting. 

All of that being said, Kurt made a decision to change the direction of his blog (kill it as dead as dead can be) and I'm thinking it may be time to do that here too.  This time I'm not doing it during the middle of a tantrum.  I'm just thinking of quietly slipping away........

By the way, who the heck is visiting from Hawaii?  I'm intriged!

Early Stages

In progress

Goldilocks

Oil

36"x36"

This is "Goldilocks" from my painting class.  It's still in early stages.  I'm really slow as I am a babe when it comes to working with oils and need much assistance.  The class is large and when I have a question it could take up to an hour before she gets around to me.  It's funny, working with a seasoned oil painter is like working with a chef.  "A little bit" and "larger amount" are measurements.  What's intuitive for them is mind boggling to me.  Oh well.  It will come.  What I like about oils over acrylics is that you can take a rag and wipe off an entire part of the picture if you don't like it.  Also, you feel a little giddy after working in a room full of turps after three hours;-)

Completed

Sun Kissed Kid

Coloured Pencil

11.14.5

I'm working on another portrait that I've been asked to do.  I'm not allowed to post it so too bad, so sad;-)  I wonder if ever there is ever going to be a time when I can start a project without the trepidation and self doubt that I experience with each and every one.  Some worse than others.

This one is a practice piece for the real thing.  I want to work out a few "bugs" before hitting the real work.  It wasn't my original intention, but I noticed a couple of dents in the paper once I had started.  Overall this isn't a bad thing as I can tackle this piece with a bit more gusto.  Doesn't make it any less scary though! 

We let the neighbour know about the fence.  No fall out yet.  Time will tell.

You've Gotta Love Art

I spent my afternoon with a naked lady in a blonde wig sitting beside a dead stuffed 4 foot black bear along with approx. 15 other people.  How 'bout you?


Pictures in 3 weeks if all goes well.

My Cycling Check-List

I went cycling this afternoon.  I stood for quite a while before I left trying to decide if it was a cycling shorts or cycling pants kind of day.  I finally decided it's chillier along the river and so pants were the way to go.  (I was wrong by the way.  It was quite hot.)

As I stood at the side of my bike, I mentally went over my cycling check list.  Water bottle, check; lock and key, check; cycling shoes and helmet, check;  coffee money, check.  I was ready so out the door I went.

Oh, hmmm......maybe putting a cycling shirt on over my sports bra would be a good idea too.



BTW....if you are the 70 something year old lady who thinks it's a good idea to sunbathe along side the river in your bikini, it's not.  Please!

Just Another Peak....

It's seems people do like to peek as I suspected;-) Today I thought I'd post some more peek shots. This time they are of the location of an upcoming battle that is still of a time undetermined, but guaranteed to be in the not so distant future.

Offended neighbour on the right of the photo.  Front view.

                     This is the fence we put up a couple of years ago when replacing that hedge. 

                                                                           Back view

These are some of my tulips that I'm posting just because it's a lovely day.  The little gnome just showed up in my garden one day.  An anonymous gift.  Normally we wouldn't be seeing these in bloom for another month or so.  Canadians love global warming;-)

                                                                           My daffy-dills;-)

Today You Are You, that is truer than true......

Getting closer to the end of this one.  Like VanGogh she's missing most of her ear, but unlike the painter, she will have one in the end.

Hot Chocolate asked what was on the bookmark attached to my art desk.  It might say something like,

"Today you are you, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is youer than you." Dr. Suess

It's not so much inspirational as reassuring.  There are days when I have to thank God that there is only one of me loose in the world;-)

BTW Hot Chocolate....I didn't kill them, but your girls are now hooked on chocolate chip cookies.  They may have gained a bit of weight while you were gone.  Oh, and they expect to be allowed at the breakfast table in the morning while you're eating.  That's not my idea, I'm dead set against vermin at the table, but they were snuck in.

Now onto the important business of the day.  My coloured pencils keep breaking.  This is not the usual for me.  I can go weeks without breaking a single "lead."  Artist quality pencils are softer than the ones kids use and when sharpened with an electric sharpener can easily avoid breakage.  (Hand held sharpeners seem to lead to more breaking.)  Well, until today.  I've gone through a few brakes this afternoon and I'm starting to wonder if it's time for a new sharpener or I'm just handling the pencils differently.  Perhaps it's a sign!  I donno.  So I stepped aside and left "Sun Kissed Kid" with her Van Gogh ear before I destroyed anymore pencils.  At $2.00 plus a pencil it's getting discouraging sharpening them down to nubs when I know they should last longer.  Especially the Faber Castell pencils.  Those babies normally last forever....but just not today.

Wednesday I start my "Expressive Figure Painting" class.  I'm going to try oils for the first time.  Yikes!  I'm scared!  I'm blissfully ignorant at this point as to what it entails.  Wish me luck.

Just a Peek

I'm always interested to see photos of bloggers in their environment.  Or at least their environment if not their photos of themselves.  I think there is a little voyeur in all of us.  We like to try to figure out a bit about somebody by their environment.  Well, here's something I haven't done before.  A peek at the four corners of my "livingroom."  Now you just have to figure out if it fits with what I 've told you about myself in the past.  Am I really who I've claimed to be?

Heres Mr. Hunter after an exhausting morning of humping large scary looking german shepherds at the dog park.  He's done for the day.

Doesn't look much like more than one person lives here does it?

A Wee Bit More....

Sun Kissed Kid

Coloured Pencil

11x14.5

I've got to finish her ear and then do a bit more work on her eyes, but this is the gist of it.  Then I'll give it a good going over to make sure I'm happy with everything.  I'm only goinng to darken the one side and trail off at the bottom and the left side.   The drawing is positioned closer to the left of the page to balance the weight of the darker value on the right and to make her face more of a focal point.  This was not something that I had originally planned, but just felt right once I started it.  Sometimes the art work screams out it's direction and sometimes it comes in a gentle whisper, but it always makes it's intentions clear.  As an artist I've learned not to fight the direction it wants to take for if you do it will never turn out. 

Art takes on a life of it's own and will not be denied it's wishes!

I've taken to working standing up on my large easel as opposed to my art table.  I have my back to the window and the natural light is a nicer than the lamps at my table.  The one drawback is that everyone on the street can watch.  As for standing, I find it easier to stand than sit for long periods of time.  I'm a restless artist and wander around the house at frequent intervals anyways so it's not like I'm stationary.

Still much work to go, but it's coming along.  It still remains untitled.  I don't know the child very well and so can't come up with some quirky name at this point.

Expressive Figure Drawing~Transformation....UPDATE

If you were here earlier this afternoon you would have seen my latest figure drawing.  It was spectacular.  Well, okay, maybe it's more acurate to say it was interesting in a sick and twisted kind of way.  Where is it now?  It's gone into storage.  I got into trouble! 

"You are in so much trouble!" were his exact words.

I thought about blaming Kurt.  After all he still has publishing priveleges on this blog and doesn't have to live with the model,  but the drawing was in my own hand and it's hard to deny I did it when it's attached to my easel in the middle of my livingroom.  Also, Kurt lives in a famous American city that is many hours away.  Next I tried to blame one of the kids, but they don't like looking at my nude drawings let alone doing one of their own.  Finally, there's the dog.  He is perverse enough to create such a drawing but lacks the opposable thumbs necessary to hold the charcoal to paper and he doesn't mouth draw because he doesn't like the taste of the medium.

I finally owned up to it and as a way of apologizing offered to put MY head on her body, but for some reason he didn't see that as an adequate show of remorse.

So, if you missed it I'm sorry, but somethings are better left to the imagination I suppose.

Untitled

Why is it that when my kids (as I'm sure is the case with many other peoples) walk in the door they inevitably start fighting before the door is even closed.  In fact, that's usually the first thing they start fighting about.

"You were the last one in....you close it!!!"

"No, YOU were the first one to use the door, YOU close it!!!"

"Loser!"

"Retard!!!"

Then they try to bring me into the fray.

"Mom, Retard took a whole bowl full of grapes!"

"Retard is not a politically correct thing to call someone.  You need to say 'mentally challenged', which your sister is not.'" I reply.

"Mom, the mentally challenged retard took a whole bowl of grapes!"

  You get the picture.  That being said, the above picture is not of any of my politically incorrect fighting crew.   (Which I'm just about to sell on eBay by the way.  It's time.)  I've got another in the works that I can't post and this is just a little aside when I get stuck on the other one.

From Mr. Florida

Mr. Florida has gone back to Florida but leaves us with this picture and the following post:

"I was going to Blog this on your site but could not figure out how .... I thought it made you look weird!  I, in comparison, appear to be having a shit in the photo that you blogged!"

Not Mr. Florida's Picture

This is my friend "Mr. Florida."

"You do not have permission to post my photo on your blog!" He says.

"Okay." I responded. 

Does this count?

Hot Chocolate Jr. Is Soooooo Hot!

A conversation that took place today with 2 of 4 at her school:

"Is 'Hot Chocolate Jr.' your cousin?" asks Jr.'s friend Joey who attends 2 of 4's school.  Hot Chocolate Jr. does not.

"Ya, he's my cousin." 2 of 4 replies.

"Sceaaaammmm! Oh my gosh!"  Yells an eavesdropping female from the same grade as Joey.

"Your cousin is SOOOO HOT!" exclaims the girl whos name rhymes with banana.

"Well this is awkward....." replies 2 of 4.

Apparently 'Banana' knows 'Hot Chocolate Jr.'  I shouldn't be suprised though because pretty much 95 % of the people I come across in my daily life know someone in Hot Chocolates family.  I'm starting to feel like some kind of freaky groupy.

Update....

Finally finished todays drawing from the drawing class!

Wednesday's Expressive Drawing Class~Bring a Friend Day

NEVER bring a friend to art class when they draw better than you.  Especially when they haven't done any drawing in years.  I'm just sayin'.

Hot Chocolate did an amazing work of art.

Now I have to go and spend the rest of the afternoon fixing mine up without the benefit of the model just because it will bug me.

I am posting on this blog

I would like to apologize for how long it's been since my last post, but it's quite a ways to Perpetual Chocoholic's house. Until they invent a way for one to post remotely to another person's blog, I must make the long flight each time. But it's worth it to make you three or four readers happy.

When I got back from the airport, the folks at The Apple Store emailed to say my Mac had been repaired. In the olden days, when you went to pick something up from the repair shop, you simply entered the shop, said "I'm here to pick up my [obsolete electronic product of yore], and someone named Mack or Ted went and pulled it off the shelf and handed it to you. Total time: 3 to 5 minutes, plus a few minutes to bullshit with Mack (or Ted).

But in these modern times, the process has been considerably lengthened by technology. First, you wait for a sullen youth to check you in (it'll be just a minute while she shows a guy some phones). Then, after check-in, you wait for your name to appear on a giant screen indicating that it is your turn. Even though you are only picking up, you have to wait behind everyone with a scratched iPhone or an iMac with a kernel panic. Finally, another sullen youth hands you your computer and mumbles something in reply to your questions re: what exactly they did to your computer. Total time: 30 minutes, plus 0 minutes for the little pleasantries between people that make life worth living.

My Mac is better, while the world grows worse.