More Watercolors.....

My first "Crowd" picture upset Lynn - and I understand why. It was darker, very different body-people - bigger heads, skinnier bodies. I also understand why that was - everyone at work has been discussing "The Book Thief" and I just started reading it.

Anyway, I set out to make a happier watercolor and came up with these three. I like doing the primary color coats, and blue sky.

Do you like any of these vs the original and if yes/no.....why? I have my own answers....

Six Word Saturday

Early Trip to Florida for DH

We had planned to leave for Florida today - both of us together. But, work interceded for me and I have to be here on Monday and Tuesday - so my poor DH is going down alone today. I'll meet him there on Wednesday afternoon and stay until Monday.

MIL is not doing so well, so his visit will hopefully cheer her up. We all are aware of the shortness of time and the "last" holiday together visions keep cropping up. It's hard to stay positive in the face of this all, but we're trying for her sake.

Time just keeps marching on doesn't it?

On the positive side, my nephews are coming over on Sunday and we will go see Harry Potter together. We've been seeing those movies together since they first came out - and that is a funny post in and of itself. Additionally, it appears that I might actually keep my job...so my fingers are crossed - I'll know more before the end of the year.

Have a good weekend all - enjoy

Random Watercolor

Started at work - doodling.

Finished at home with watercolors.

A bit odd but that's me.

Animal Wednesday - Elephant again

I have my little bronze elephant on my desk, and decided to draw her for Animal Wednesday; somehow she looks baby-like in this drawing but that's OK.

Happy Animal Wednesday

Official portrait of the Third Annual Foundations Club weekend

I have three friends who I've known since 1985. We've worked together, not worked together, gone thru pets, and babies, and grandbabies together. No divorces, but certainly marital strife. Good times and not so good times have hit us all. We started our own little club called "Foundations" - because all of us need foundation garments and it seemed like a funny name. (it's useful too, a quick phone call for a "foundies meeting" gets quick response)


The Four of us started going away for a weekend three years ago, because it's so hard to get together on a routine basis and we need to spend time together - to keep reconnecting. The first year we went to a house on Martha's Vineyard owned by M. It was a beach weekend, with good food and wine (one of us runs a wine store!). I started a tradition of doing an official "portrait" of us with this picture. Everyone LOVED it!

The second year, we went to Mo's house in NH, and did the hot tub and talked and learned to knit and drank wine (that seems to be a bit of a theme). It was a lovely weekend and a brief escape from my personal stress of a recently ill MIL.

And I did this picture - and everyone was nude in that Hot Tub.


This year only three of us could get away for the weekend, Mo's FIL got very ill and died over the weekend. It was sad because we missed her and the visit to the winery was based on her store so that was too bad....but as I've posted we had a lovely time. And here is my third annual portrait which has just gone out to everyone.


(I like us in color now that I look at all of them together - but it worked in this picture and wouldn't have in the others)

My girlfriends appreciate the pictures, always printing them and getting them framed. (as do other friends, amazing to me, but frame these things they do!)

Lovely to have good friends. Lovely.

Elephant

Because I have too much stuff in my house...and am TRYING to declutter, I don't often buy decorative items. But when I was away on Long Island last weekend we went into an antique store (that's the best thing about being with girlfriends..."ohh - let's go in here" and the answer "OK") and I found a totally tarnished bronze elephant for about $10.00. Shes only about 6 inches high and weighs about ...well...I don't really know how much but it's a lot. She's heavy.

I polished her and polished all day. I used baking soda and lemon juice to get rid of the oxidation that was covering her, she was completely green and you couldn't see any details. After a day of soaking in this paste, and getting scrubbed over and over, a nice little elephant emerged, with lots of elephant creases and a cute face. I put oil all over her at the end, to shine her up and make the last bits of oxidation go away from view.

I don't even know why I am posting about this little statue except that for some reason, she feels lucky to me. I'm enjoying holding her, the detail is amazing and she just seems like a happy statue. And looking at it makes me happy.

So that's it. That's my statue story for today.

Hope you have your own lucky, happy elephant item.

Six Word Saturday

My last Portrait Class was tonight

and I can honestly say that I've come a LONG way. I've learned so much in the class, even my instructor was like "hmmm, wow" tonight. We have off until Mid January when we start Friday night drawing again. But I like portraits and want to keep working on that skill. I've always been interesting in drawing people, so it all fits in nicely.

But till then...it's home on Friday nights for me.

Have a lovely weekend all