Coffee And Paint Drips Blog - Page 74 of 79

Merry Christmas

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

~Dr. Seuss

Was it a Simpler Time?

I’ve been reading in the news and listening to people talk about how simple the Christmas holidays were in the past. No worries, just gifts and dinner with the family. A wide-eyed optimism is what they remember, not the hustle and bustle of the shopping for big ticket items or fighting the crowd for the latest toy craze.

If you think about it for a moment, that simpler time was when you were a kid. What kid is involved in the frenzy? Not one that I can think of. For most of us, when you’re a kid the world is a pretty small place. You go from home to school, to an activity and home again. Are most kids thinking of how to provide for the family? No. Is a kid responsible for shopping for the big gift? No. Maybe a kid makes cookies with the family or the mom, maybe he or she shops for the little gifts they give and help decorate the tree. I think most kids are quite oblivious to the whole craziness that their parents are having trying to make the holiday happen.

As a child, did you really know what was going on in your parent’s lives? Some families make do, some do without. Some do a bang-up blowout, each depending on their own situation. Kids grow up and remember the time being simpler. Well, I think it’s because you just didn’t know any better. You’re a kid and that’s how it’s supposed to be if the parents do it right. Later on you grow up and lament having to do the running, shopping, cooking, cleaning, decorating, wrapping, and worry about paying for all of it. Suddenly, the times way back when seemed simpler.

Yeah, it was simpler because you didn’t have to do all of the work, you were a kid! Get it?

Checking Off the List

The week is moving along quickly as it always does when there’s a lot of things to do. I’m working on the to-do list and thankfully checking things off as I go. “Making a list and checking it twice” as the Christmas carol goes.

Since the snow, I think it’s a good thing that we are forced to slow down, take stock, reassess, take a breath. I worked well yesterday and today is going to be a finishing up kind of day.

Did I say the image of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle should’ve been a woman? Men can’t handle all the things that need to be done for a holiday on schedule, in time, and in one piece! And clean the house, prepare meals, keep up with laundry and the bills, and feed the fish. Can they do all that? I think not. Do we make ourselves crazy doing all this? I think yes.

So, I’m off. Leave a message. We can talk later, ok?

Down the Rabbit Hole

Since the huge snow fall this weekend suspended my Christmas shopping activities, today had better be the day things get done here! Painting has been suspended until further notice.

I feel like the character The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland who kept muttering, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!” What happened next? Alice followed that White Rabbit down the rabbit hole.

If I’m not on it today I’ll be next down that rabbit hole!

Getting snowed in has its advantages. You’re stuck in anyway, may as well get things done. I needed to wrap the gifts I’ve already bought, put up my tree, bake some cookies and other little things around the house. What did I do? We shoveled the two feet of snow at our house for a couple of hours. By the time I was done with that I was exhausted. I baked, and burned, some chocolate chip cookies, baked bread and made dinner. I did some decorating and wrapping. The tree? Later today.

Did I say I’m late?

Friday Photos

Thought for Thursdays

While I was Christmas shopping yesterday a child was overheard in the aisles saying: “Need cookie now!” A couple other women and I immediately eyeballed each other.

I said, “I could use a cookie”. One woman said, “I could have a coffee”. The other said, “I need a drink”.

How about you? Need a cookie,too?

Sketching with Paint

When I first started with watercolors, I really didn’t have any idea how to use them. As I said in a previous post, I took a class my town offered which ended up being a disaster on the one hand, but a chance to try on the other. The watercolorist who was the instructor, was busy hustling the retirees by adding extra hours to the class, payable to himself, getting paid to frame their work, besides getting paid to teach the class.

What teach the class? He was totally unethical as I have said. He only demonstrated watercolor painting, by using other artist’s work as a guide for the students. He didn’t teach anything. Not how to set up the colors, not how to prepare the paper, not how to manipulate the brush or the paint. Never set up a still life to work from or a model or go outside. Nothing but demonstrate on other’s art.

When that class was over I continued in my quest with watercolor on my own. At least I had a little idea, but I used these paints as I did oils. I have learned that it’s a totally different medium and it needs a new approach. That’s not to say I haven’t applied these paints just like oils, but they don’t work the same way. I can apply watercolor paint as I do the oil, but they get absorbed into the surface differently.

I found I liked sketching with watercolor from life better than from photos. I know lately I’ve been using pictures of what I want to paint. Sometimes it’s unavoidable. But when I can, I paint straight from the real thing.

John’s Laouto ©2000 Dora Sislian Themelis
Watercolor

The first time I used watercolors to paint a live model I used my son playing his instrument. It was summer and he was practicing in our patio room. He planned to be there a while and I ran to get the paints going as long as he didn’t mind. I quickly sketched the general position of his body and the instrument with a pencil then I went in with paint. The paints that I used for the class were student grade. If I was using pro paints I may have had a better result, but I thought it was good at the time. Now that I’ve been working with better paint I can tell the difference.

Gregory ©2000 Dora Sislian Themelis
Watercolor

I liked working with watercolors and the live model so I did it again with my younger son while he was doing homework in the afternoon. He sat across from me at the kitchen table and I sketched him with only the paint this time. Thankfully, that day he sat quietly and he was a fidgety kid!

I know I’m calling these paintings sketching because I really didn’t spend that much time on them. I sat and quickly painted. When I was done, the painting was over. I didn’t pencil out the idea and go lightly with the paints for a few days like I did with the cherry blossoms. I guess each work has it’s own energy and style. Some days a sketch is enough, some times it takes more for the work to end.

Working on the Zen

I’m steadily moving along on the cherry blossoms painting and not pulling my hair out yet! Little by little, I can see it taking shape. I guess I’m pleased with the way it’s coming along so far since I haven’t ditched it by now.

I like the shadows on the flower petals and trying very hard to keep the bright sun light showing. I hope it will convey that feeling of calm and well being that my friend is looking for.

The paints I’m using are lovely. After a discussing with another artist, I stayed with the MaimieriBlu watercolor paints and I’m not one bit sorry. They’re velvety and smooth. The creaminess of the paints as I apply them to the paper helps keep my motivation up. The colors are very strong and it doesn’t take alot to have a good punch. A touch of the brush to the paint goes a long way.

That little bird perched on a branch was my attempt at a touch of whimsy! I saw that photo in my swipe file and thought how charming it would be to have him sitting in the midst of all those blooms. So there he is.

It’s almost done. The friend I’m painting this for should be happy with it. And if not, I am so keeping it!

I haven’t spent this much time on a painting in quite a while. Usually I work at a frenzy, moving, standing,

manipulating the paint with my brush. This time I slowed down. I still stand and move back to view my work, but it’s a comfortable pace. The energy is there, it’s just subdued.

I guess that’s what the zen is all about. What do you think?

Taking a Break to Knit

Sometimes when there are too many things going on at once I find it’s hard to slow down. My to-do list has a to-do list!

The cherry blossoms watercolor painting is moving along smoothly and I’ve been finding time to get to it almost every day. I’m afraid I’ll over-work it, as I’m known to do. If that happens there’s no going back. Watercolors are not very forgiving and things could get ugly real fast.

What do I turn to? Knitting! Yes, that’s right, on with the next project! Like I don’t have enough things going on.

Knitting is something you do sitting down. I’ve knitted standing up, but it’s not that comfortable and sometimes the stitches are uneven. When I have some free time or after dinner in my cozy spot, I sit and I knit. I started this particular pair of socks on the plane on my trip to Florida in November.

Sock knitting is addictive. Once you learn to knit socks you can’t stop. I have three pairs going on at once. If I get bored with one color of socks I move on to another. Just thinking about knitting on those socks makes me itchy. It’s a close second to painting, I’ll say that. Knitters talk about “the second sock syndrome”, but not me. If I have three sets in the works I don’t get bored enough to give up on knitting up the second sock of the pair.

Lately I’ve been getting allergy shots and this sock knitting is my companion. Once a week I let them stab me with needles and I wait twenty minutes to see if I’ll have a reaction. I mosey on to the waiting room and get cozy with my knitting. It’s a blissful twenty minutes. The thing is, I’m forced to occupy myself for that time. I’m not home to do laundry, run errands, paint, I’ve got to sit there and wait. People come and go, there I sit knitting. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve been so involved in my sock that I’ve knitted way past the time I should be there.

Knitting, along with painting, is always on the to-do list.

Photos for Friday

Small watercolor paintings of various Greek themes. I love the colors and shapes the brights and shadows make on objects. Enjoy!