Metaphors Are Everywhere

My younger, angrier, blonder, self.  Everybody loves a mouse.

I can’t seem to ever just paint something pretty, though a part of me would really like to.  For me, there’s always a deeper meaning screaming to be let out. 

Case in Point.

While in the “Indiana Jones” line at Disneyland, I was marveling at how fabulously entertaining the line is, an immense, imaginative installation piece, really.  While my younger, angrier self would have shaken her fist at how expertly Disney pacifies the masses, herding us through a world of over-consumption, my parent-self was telling my kid “now remember, the line is part of the ride.”  The person in front of us was impressed by this way of looking at things.  And I realized, there are probably a lot of gems hidden in the crevices of the happiest place on earth.  By the end of the day, I was more holier-than-though than I started, a better person for sure.

Disneyland Life Lessons

Life Lesson #1: The line is part of the ride.

Life Lesson #2 Fake people are scarier than  real people.

Life Lesson #3: Just because it has the longest line, doesn’t make it funner (people will stand in a long line because it’s a long line).

Life Lesson #4:  Some danger signs are imaginary and some are real, but it can be tragically hard to tell the difference. Examples: “Warning, High Voltage Area” (fake), “Do Not Climb on Rocks” (REAL!) and “Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts” (possibly real).

Life Lesson #5: Makes no difference who  you are (when you wish upon a star).

Life Lesson #6: Princesses are EVERYWHERE.

Life Lesson #7: Your favorite ride is the one closed for repairs.

Life Lesson #8: It is a small world.

Life Lesson #9: Nobody likes a person who cuts in line, no matter how cute their kids are.

Life Lesson #10: Money really does buy happiness, if you replace the word “happiness” with “shopping”.

Life Lesson #11: If you close your eyes, you’ll miss the fun.

Life Lesson #12:  It’s more fun when you wear a costume.

Life Lesson #13: If you tell yourself that pirates are funny, they are

Old Dog

New Tricks.
 It was great to spend the weekend painting in an absolutely gorgeous studio space.  I definitely learned new things about painting.  It is a "wet on wet" technique.  I didn't feel like I "finished" either painting.  I spent forever on the portrait trying to get the skin tone colorful enough before moving on to actually put her face on, which meant I was left with about an hour to suddenly pull a full portrait out of my...hat.  Both days I found myself working up to the very last moment, no choice but to call it "done".

Painting Class for the Painter

I am taking an oil painting intensive this weekend.  I got my little supply list and gleefully went shopping, buying more brushes than what was on the list, just in case.

You might find it surprising that a person can go to Otis Art College for 4 years, get a Bachelor's degree in Painting, and have never been given instruction in painting.  The fact of the matter was that my painting classes were more about art theory/critique.  The teachers were very up front about the fact that they don't teach you how to actually apply paint.  That's for you to figure out.  And I did.  Absurd?  Ironic? Yes and yes.  But realism was very passé in the 90's, so it wasn't relevant to the work most students were doing.