Blogger Won't Load My Pics Again....Do They Hate My Art:-)

Okay, it's rained for all but about 3 days in the last 2 months.  The Cullen's could have comfortably lived here and kept their secret safe.  Today the sun actually came out and  it was up over 100 F with the humidity.  I went cycling.  I don't sweat.  Seriously.  I turn beet red and my face is extremely hot to the touch.  I suspect I will eventually explode on the bike path, but at least I will die happy doing what I love. 

Blogger won't accept my photos again.  I was going to post the last oil painting I did.  The model told me it was her favourite out of all the paintings from our group.  I bet she says that to all the artists;-)  It was crap. She explained I gave her the nicest looking body and she was happy with that.   Mr. P. did say though that he liked her.......dairy section in the painting. 

Still won't let me post pictures.

Lately I've been thinking again about the picture I owe Kurt.  I hate unfinished business.  I've not done much coloured pencil work lately, putting aside the finely detailed types of work to work free hand, both right and left-handed with broad scribbly stokes.  It helps with the expressive figure oil paintings.  The coloured pencil work actually seems to have a negative effect on my ability to work expressively in oil.  The opposite is not true though.  I can easily go from expressive to hyper-realism with no problem at all.  Back to Kurt (I know that's probably what he's thinking if he's reading this.)  My last 3 week session in oil comes up starting this week then the semester is over and I can return to my coloured pencil stuff.   Hopefully finishing up some of the coloured pencil stuff I've got on the go.

Kurt's latest OPE zine is out and you can order a copy through his website.  When I was little and my Granny baby sat us, my Granny used to say, "some day I'll be dead and then you'll be sorry......"Well some day Kurt may be famous then YOU"LL be sorry you didn't get one.  Someday he might even be dead then you'll really kick yourself.

You still here?  Mr. P. won't read this far down the posts.  I've now been here for over 6 years.  I never do anything for over 6 years.  Well, other than breathing and eating chocolate. 

Blogger still won't post my pictures. 

Hunter had his check up today and is in fine shape.  The vet listened to his heart and commented "WOW!  You are really laid back.  If he was anymore laid back he'd be comatose.  He does get excited though when I tell him we're going for a coffee.  He always gets a treat but gets a little put out that they won't let him go begging inside the shop.  He's such a primadonna.

That's all for now.

Finally! Pictures!

click to bigify

FINALLY!

And to the person who said that I have too much time on my hands if I have time to go and check out bullfrogs (never mind that I'm using them for artistic purposes and it's my job) ....pththphhhh.....  I have a special hand gesture to show you.

Coffee Shop Drawings

Yup....still won't let me load pictures.  Sigh.

What you would have seen is my hand at a coffee shop clutching a napkin.  I posted it with no problem on my facebook page.  I hate facebook but at least it accepts my pics.

I was sitting in an armchair facing the window all by my lonesome.  Since I draw mainly hands in coloured pencil, I like to draw my hand (or somebody's hand) a couple of times a week so I don't lose the ability to do so.  After all what an expressive appendage our hand is.  You can speak, work and swear with it. (ohhhhh!  Make mental note of idea for future painting!)

I put my earphones in to dissuade any conversation on days I don't want to be disturbed and put a scowl on my face before getting lost in the lines of my hand.  Today, despite the earphones and cranky face, a fellow came up and asked for permission to sit in one of the other armchairs like I owned it.  I shrugged. 

He read the paper for only a couple of minutes before putting it down to just sit.  Sitting and watching.  Watching me.  Staring actually.

I slunk down further in my chair.  Don't look at me.  I don't like being looked at.  Stop looking at me!  Too bad he wasn't a mind reader.

After getting about half way through the drawing I realized that my model had moved!  The nerve!  When I started prior to the watcher, my hand was relaxed gently holding a napkin.  Now I realized things weren't lining up because my hand was turning white and blue and purple from tightly clutching the napkin.  I had to keep reminding myself to relax and realign my fingers.

Eventually I was finished. Without even a glance up I quickly packed up and downed my coffee.  He then started to get up himself after sitting and watching me for probably 45 min.  I sat back and fiddled with my phone waiting for him to leave.  Weird.

The regulars in this coffee shop are lovely people who will at times, sit together and chat.  When someone needs time alone usually people are adept enough at reading body language to know how open to company someone is.  I have even made a friend here who is a fellow artist.  Every once in a while (at least once a week) though someone comes in who doesn't know the coffee shop rules so I've decided to post them.

1)  Don't stare at me when I'm drawing  Yes I realize it's a free country, but do you sit beside the customers with a laptop and read all of their emails too commenting on their writing ability?
2)  If I'm wearing earphones and you try to talk to me I will pretend not to hear you so don't talk to me unless it's to tell me the building is on fire and it actually really is on fire.
3)  No you can't look through my sketchbook because I've probably drawn you at some point and you won't be flattered because I draw what I see, not what you want to believe you look like.
4)  Don't ask me what I do for a living because I'll probably lie to you anyways and it's none of your business why I'm sitting in a coffee shop in the mid-morning trying to ignore you.
5)  Yes you're right, I'm not knitting today how observant of you to notice.  By the way it's crocheting.

Okay, normally I'm not as snotty as all that but curiosity is one thing.  Rudeness in another.

Blogger won't load my pictures again today.  Drag.

The Bestest Last Day Ever!

Well here we are at the end.  The very last day.  It's been the best one ever!

First I slept in late.  Then I got up and had chocolate for breakfast.  Yes, that's right.  Chocolate straight up.  And not that bitter dark stuff either.  (Kurt made me do it.)

Then I went for a bike ride.  It's sunny and hot today....finally.  I started off down at the pond where I get my bull frog photos for my paintings.  It looks like it would have been a bumper crop this year!  Hundreds of large plump tadpoles were poking their noses out of the water.

The pond was surrounded by Canada geese parents standing like sentries aprox. every 10 feet or so guarding a gaggle of goslings.  I marched right up into the center of one of the groups at the ponds edge to look for frogs.  (In biking shoes all you can really do is march when walking through a swampy area.)  At first the parents weren't pleased but after they realized their hisses fell on deaf ears they pretty much ignored me.

While I was standing by the ponds edge a pair of deer came out to the water.  The geese weren't pleased with yet another addition to the already over crowded shore and so ran after the deer chasing them into the bush.  Later on I was able to walk up to the bushy area and photograph the deer getting within about 5 feet of one of them.  It went on eating not at all concerned with my presence.  I'm sure I could have pet it if I felt so inclined and didn't mind risking deer tics.  I wasn't.

Next I cycled over to Quebec.

Suivant Je suis allé déjeuner au Mocha Loca.  J'ai mangé un pannini au poulet et un cafe.  J'ai passé ma commande et répond aux questions en Francais.  (Well, actually mostly French with a wee bit of Franglais mixed in.)  I then went and sat on their large front poarch under an ancient maple tree.  A cool breeze was gently blowing and I watched as my lunch walked all around the lot until the waitress finally found me.  I sat and crocheted.  I brought a sketch book but why ruin your perfect last day with work.  Nobody bothered me.  Nobody spoke to me.  Nobody asked me what I was making.  It was heaven!
 
Of course if it were truly a perfect day Blogger would allow me to post pictures of all thses things but it won't so it's not.  Do you suppose it's not really the last day ever either?!

According to some, the world is supposed to end this weekend.  Why did I not hear about this sooner?  I have nothing to wear!

Nude Frog

Okay, I'm not all about nekkid life drawing.  Sometimes I work on other nakkid things such as frogs.  And yes, I know, again.....it's not Kurt.

Funny how what you see in your head turns out differently then what you put down on paper.  This is the case with this one.  Still enough to go on it though that it may become more of a window into my brain, but time will tell.  I suppose if it were a true look into my mind the frog would be eating chocolate and everything else would be covered in cobwebs.  Huh.

Friday's Life Drawing Group

Yes, yes.....she was that skinny.  In fact she was the model for "adjusting my turbin" not so long ago and has lost loads of weights since then it seems.  

Yes, yes, I know....moobs.  But he has an excuse.  At his age he's allowed.

Chocolate Fasting

I've been without chocolate for over a week now.  Actually....8 days, 6 hrs, 11 min, 32 seconds to be exact.

Why do I do this to myself.  To my family and friends? 

I suppose I just want to get to a place where I'm not totally dependent on it to get through a day.

I heard one of my coffee buddies say he's been working out regularily and on a healthy eating plan and because of such control has lost weight.  He went though a list of what he eats in a day and described his workout plan.  He then mutters,

"Oh ya....and I have a bit of chocolate."  He said this like it was a bad thing.  In fact he muttered it under his breath!

My other coffee buddy also is known to partake in a wee bit now and then.  They are both my cousins.

Could this be a hereditary thing?  Could my chocolate addiction be something in my DNA and somethng I don't really have the ability to control or change.  Like certain aboriginals and alcohol?

You may say to me,

"But don't be ridiculous Perp.  So many people love chocolate beyond what some would consider  reasonable."  In fact a large portion of the population does.

One of my kids likes chocolate alright, but prefers vanilla.  What happend there?  Who is this freak?  How did she come from me????  

Is it possible that non chocolate lovers are the ones with the problem?  Maybe something went wrong in the womb or they fell and bumped their heads when they were little.  (Sorry 4 of 4.  I didn't mean to drop you down the stairs.)  Is non chocoholicism a genetic quirk?  Might I even say a sickness?

You know, I think I'll go with that.  If you aren't a chocolate lover then YOU are the freak. 

Oh, and by the way.  Eating chocolate chip cookies one day this week, sniffing the kids chocolate Easter Bunnies every night before bed and smelling the cocoa when I was making brownies last night doesn't count as "eating chocolate".  You can't give up everything.  A girls gotta live you know.

Majority Government

What a crazy couple of days!

Most suspected the government would experience a shake up, but the whole thing was turned absolutely on it's head. 

We have a Conservative majority with Stephen Harper continuing to lead the country.  The Socialist NDP party came alive for the first time ever and Jack will get to move into a lovely little home, Stornoway, kicking Iggy out.  The best part of all was that the Bloc was almost completely obliterated, keeping only 4 seats.  No more separatists calling for the break up of the country and creating a newly formed country called Quebec.  Not that I can blame them for wanting that.  I wouldn't mind being an island onto myself some times. The Green party got it's first seat in Parliament.  I don't look forward to looking at Ms. May's mug for the next four years, but I do look forward to going 4 complete whole years without an election.  Every two years is a little much.  It appears the majority of Canadians think so too because Iggy was kicked out on his pompous ass across the country and even in his own riding.  Bet he's sorry he brought down the government now.  Last night he said he'd stay on to rebuild the party, but his party must not have agreed because he resigned this am.  Wonder how long it takes for him to boot it back down to the U.S.

Everywhere I go I've been hearing "Ding Dong the witch is dead" being sung by people and on the radio as well.  Oddly enough that too is the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the news about a certain terrorist responsible for 911 being assassinated.  Wonder when the retaliation will start.

Needless to say, after two nights of staying up 'till 1 or 2 am watching the news, I'm a little sleepy and in need of another coffee.