Nov 6, A Warm Fall Day

Today I stepped out around noon to run some errands in the neighbourhood. It's November so of course I'm bundled up and braced for cold wind. Today it was a surprisingly warm wind! I think it's 15 celsius out there. (It is, I just checked the weather.)

Changeling

What does it mean to change?

I mean subtle changes, shifts really. Small things that don't seem like much at first, but eventually are meaningful. I look back and find I no longer identify with that which came before.

The Fate of the Balcony Garden

About a month into it, the garden was thriving. Everything was green and bright and growing. Then one day I noticed a wee red dot on a leaf of lettuce. Perplexed, I squinted at it. It proceeded to stroll on up that leaf. I peered closer and found many such dots all over my lettuce. 

  

The Bite

Sad Catfish

Did these several months ago when Truffle had to be hospitalized for severe constipation. It was a very serious condition and we could have lost him.

"Compost Tea" and KST

In my ongoing anxiety about the survival of the garden, I've been pondering plant food. In so doing, the internet taught me about compost tea.

The Balcony Garden, 2018 edition

Each year we get excited about the idea of a lush green garden on our balcony. The fact that we are north-facing has done nothing to dampen our annual excitement.

Guilt & Excitement

Two feelings I felt a lot before, during, and after leaving my job....and seemingly career...were guilt and excitement. I'd feel excited about all the new possibilities open to me and immediately feel guilty about doing this crazy thing right smack in the middle of my prime earning years. 

Guilt & Excitement

Hittite Portal Lion

Many years ago, I encountered portal lions in the glorious Museum of Anatolian Civilization in Ankara, Turkey. That museum is breathtaking and I would love nothing more than to go back.  

I've always wanted to have portal lions guard my front door. And perhaps one day I will paint a pair in the entrance way. For now, I worked up a small drawing that is a blend of several reference photos.

The Dream: Swimming Orchids

I was wearing a white sun dress and walking behind someone I trusted. She waded into a body of water and I followed. My dress billowed in the water, and strange creatures appeared. They reminded me of orchids, swimming independently. They would surface all around me and simply stare. At no point did I feel threatened by them.

In search of anger I found despair

I set out to explore my feelings of anger in paint. I wasn't looking for something representative or illustrative, which is my default mode. Something representative or illustrative would be understandable, readable to other people. Rather I wanted each stroke and colour to express a feeling or sensation within me. Something expressive would likely only be understood by, and hold meaning for, me. 

I started the painting and about 3/4 the way through the painting I realized I had slid away from my anger, instead I had painted despair. This is expected behaviour. This is my habit. If something makes me feel angry then I will quickly slide to another, more acceptable feeling. I finished the painting anyway. Perhaps I needed to express my despair. 

In Search Of Anger I Found Despair. 18x24. Dec 2017.

Red Ferrari - Gift Box

Dad likes cars. Dad likes nice cars. Unfortunately I have zero expertise in this arena. Enter Mr. P, who also likes nice cars. I asked him for his input. I wanted something specific and something exciting. After just a few moments of thought, he pulled out his phone and did a Google image search: "Ferrari badge." 

I was sold immediately.

Stark Direwolf - Gift Box

I wanted to do something special for my brother A. There are many, many directions I could have gone for him: dragons, medieval sorcery, mythology, Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel Superheroes, and the list goes on. Once again, Mr. P to the rescue. I related my indecision to him and he said, without skipping a beat, "Stark direwolf."

Parisian Chic - Gift Box

I know that the most obvious theme for Miss N's box is birds of prey. However, I couldn't get my mind around how to execute that quickly and beautifully. Aside from her birding skills, I consider one of Miss N's prominent attributes to be her impeccable style (among many other attributes worthy of admiration). The idea of Parisian chic occurred to me. Enter Google image search.

The Sun - Gift Box

My mum is like the sun of my life: ever present, ever needed. She is a special woman.

Brampton Fire and Emergency Services - Gift Box

My cousin T works for the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services. His job is to maintain the fire engines. Cool, right? Having looked up their emblem, I decided to employ their colour scheme for T's box.

Trendy Colours - Gift Box

My cousin R is a beautiful woman, always fashionable and on trend. While scrolling through contemporary fashion images, I was struck by this pair of earrings. I thought they would look great on her so I used them as the colour scheme for her box.

The inspiration

Renaissance Colours - Gift Box

My aunty A often visits for Christmas. Since she is travelling quite a distance, I needed to do something small that wouldn't be a challenge to transport. She is a devoted Christian and I wanted to follow that direction. Having just seen a replica of the Sistine Chapel in December, I recalled the colour scheme that was often used: blue, pink, yellow, and white.

Detail of The Last Judgement, Sistine Chapel, by Michelangelo

Blue Polka Dots - Gift Box

A dear cousin from out of town was visiting for Christmas. I knew her box had to be small and easy to transport. I decided on a black background with blue polka dots...in part because polka dots are fun.

Painted boxes for Christmas

Christmas snuck up on me in 2017. More so than previous years. I decided some time back that I wanted to make gifts for my family this year rather than buying things. I chose to get little (and not so little) wooden boxes and custom paint each one to suit the individual it was being gifted to.