Substance

I had this vision of what I wanted my painting to look like. I started from a very practical standpoint and began painting the background. Keep in mind this was also an experiment. I didn't remember ever painting with oil paints...although during the process I got a memory flash and remembered that the colors from the one time I used oils started get all grey and muddy. Apparently, I had a color mixing problem or two before. Determined not to experience this again, I just decided to focus on the blending and getting the colors to meld into each other and to just let the background take on a life of it's own.

Once this was done and I was satisfied, I let it dry for a few days. Then I began the message of the piece...SUBSTANCE. I titled it substance. I took a medium that would allow me to build on texture and began to apply the lines. It felt so good to be creating. I finished and covered it with flesh tones and the one part with the extra expensive gold paint. I wasn't satisfied though...it was missing something. There needed to be more.

David and I sent Parker upstairs to bed. I came in the room and was immediately confronted with the reality that someone else had decided to finish it for me....

He squeezed out all of my gold paint onto the pallet and proceeded to use every single brush to glob on the paint.

He was huddled up in a little ball beneath my covers trying to be quiet and still so as not to be noticed.

I asked him why he did it and he said "I hate paintings." But I know that isn't true. There is purpose and intent in those brush strokes. After he was sent to his own bed I spent a few minutes touching up his intentions. That squiggle on the top right hand corner was his idea...I just helped to make it a little more visible. I extended a few of the strokes at the bottom. I added AL/PL '10 to the bottom and had determined that I would keep it as a memory. I would let it dry finish it off and tuck it away...

the next night I drove up to the house from a bookclub meeting and as we were approaching the house one of the moms said "it looks like someone is jumping on the bed." I went inside to discover it was Parker again...he had taken painting back up again it seems and the picture you see above is the only one I have. Sorry it is so blurry it was taken with the camera phone. He managed to pull some of the paint to the side and cover up the signed portion. It isn't nearly as artistic.

I've taken him several times to his own easel and pointed out where he is supposed to do HIS art...

Hopefully, Parker has learned a lesson and I have as well. I now put my paints and brushes high in the cabinets...today I am going to set the easels beside one another and we are going to work at creating.