Elephantine
daily painting challenge
Monkeying Around
This painting is highly imperfect. The face seems to be floating around, detached. The fur is stiff and square. Painting it was not as fun as painting the hedgehog and it shows. The process reminded me of this quote:
Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
Mary Tyler Moore
Some pieces will be better than others. I love watching August Wren (Creativebug.com) paint because she talks out loud and often laughs at her mistakes.
Hedgehog
She goes about her business
and will tighten into a ball if you harass her
Her spines fall out under extreme stress
but she’s resilient (!) – they grow back
she’s vocal, nocturnal,
and has a natural immunity against snake venom
(through years of evolution?)
omniverous and vociferous
the badger can’t stay away
{Reading up on the hedgehog, it reminded me of the #metoo movement}
Toucan
Did you know that their beaks are “honeycomb-like” (lightweight) and virtually useless as a weapon? But the other animals don’t know that!
Tip of the Day (from personal experience):
Start your day with something that is hard to do physically…something that requires you to push yourself. Achieving it first thing in the day will give you a sense of accomplishment and vigor for the next 15 to 18 hours.
Freebie for You
Now that I have nearly mastered painting (as evidenced in my drunken kangaroo and Chiweenie (aka “the Rat Dog”), I am sure you are wondering what goes on in the mind of an artistic genius.
You’re in luck.
I’ve decided to share this with you – and completely free of charge:
First, I sit with a pencil, a glass of water, my assortment of paint brushes, my gouache paints and the paper. The magic commences…
Oh God, I can’t…I just can’t draw this monkey/llama/dog/cat/kangaroo…I wish someone would draw it for me and I could just paint it. Like a coloring book, but with paint, not crayons.
Oh no…I cannot mix paints. I wish these colors all just came in the tubes – ready to go. I’m no good at mixing colors. They never come out the way I want. Wah…wah…wah!
Ugh, I have to paint that fine line? How? How does anyone paint such straight/smooth/exact lines? Its. Too. Hard.
Surprised? Yes, I knew you would be. Even great artists can be wracked with self-doubt. But we just go on and do it.
It is called “courage,” grasshopper.
Legacy
Sitting with my daughter “Bunny” by the pool
we talk about Kate Spade’s suicide and sadness we’ve never known
Bunny’s hair is fanned all over the pool deck, her clear eyes to the sky
Spade wrote a letter to her 13-year-old daughter
telling her it wasn’t her fault
my words ride the waves of the pool and get sucked into the filter
Looking at Bunny, the note seems an especially cruel gesture
In the distance, we can hear a woodpecker on aluminum siding
Maternal Meditation
Motherhood To Dos:
change their diapers
anticipate their needs
hug and kiss through tears
teach them to be strong
allow them to feel pain
buy them clothes
(and school supplies and prom tickets and flowers for their first crush)
listen as they complain about school, frenemies and hormones
bite your tongue when they complain about you
And that’s why there’s an “Om” in “Mom”
Hungry No More*
We cry from hunger pains
yearning to fill the void
but after we’ve eaten – with “bellies” full –
we’re left dissatisfied – a bit annoyed
Listless and sleepy,
we roll on to our side,
hoping to rest and feel content,
but conscious of the divide
No longer desirous, for
we ate the bread you gave,
but we’re bloated and numb
It was far better to crave
*Inspired by Mudcrutch
Kismet 