When the chill returns to the air and evenings are marked by firing up the fireplace, you’ll often find me curled up on the couch with a good book and cuddly pug. Though I’ve been painting and sketching more than reading lately, I must have books on the brain because this theme has popped up in 3 of my most recent paintings.

This one is my favorite:

A Grand Adventure

8 X 10 prints available ~ original is sold

I credit my mom for nurturing my love of reading. Some of my fondest memories are trips to our local library, the unmistakable smell of old hardcover books with thread-worn covers and curling up in her big bed so we could read together. A snoring pug is quite a noisy replacement for my mother, it has to be said.

I think this painting looks better in person, darker and a little more mysterious. My lovely friend Jen (who apparently now reads my blog instead of phoning me) has snagged the original.

The Fairest of Them All

10 X 12, acrylic on canvas
prints available in the shop

The tale of Snow White was one of my favorite stories as a child, though even then I preferred the darker Brothers Grimm version to the slightly sanitized Disney film. It’s hard to imagine a kids’ movie coming out today that features a huntsman ordered to kill a fair maiden in the woods and then bring back her organs as proof! I think children are a lot darker than we give them credit for; there’s something about our human nature that loves to be scared.

Speaking of scary, hopefully I won’t incur the wrath of the Disney legal team with this one. She’s clearly inspired by the traditional Snow White imagery, but hopefully different enough that she stands out as my own.

It would appear that ridiculously large eyes are my trademark style, one that is honestly NOT on purpose. I’ve sat down several times planning to create a new portrait with slightly more realistic proportions and they always turn out wide-eyed and cartoon-y. I’m happy with my girls, don’t get me wrong. I just find it interesting that my art seems to have a mind of its own, one that is not particularly influenced by *me*.

That’s part of what I really love about the creative process – you have to let go. I can plan, do sketches, look at resource material, but once the paint is swirling around the canvas, the outcome is never exactly what you planned. Usually that’s a good thing. And an excellent reminder that maybe letting go and trusting the process? Not such a bad idea in the rest of my life either.

John and I got to see Louis CK’s stand-up show at one of Vancouver’s oldest theatres, the Vogue, on Friday night. The show was fantastic; he was as funny, edgy & off-color as ever, the crowd was great and he even came back out to do an encore that reinforced what I love about his style of comedy – it feels like he’s really just talking to you. It never feels like he’s doing a schtick or putting on a performance. His delivery might get animated at times, but it always feels as though he’s talking to you naturally. He even addressed how UNnatural it was for him to come out, stand on a stage & start talking to complete strangers. Acknowledging that plane only further emphasized the honesty of his stage presence.

I’ve been lucky to see a bunch of great comedy shows since moving out to Vancouver: Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman plus Bill Maher with my sister when she took me to Vegas last year. Clearly I enjoy comedians who push the envelope and I realize this material isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However I managed to find a great clip of Louis CK on Conan that’s PG-rated and so so true:

Next on my list of comedians I want to see:

• Jim Gaffigan
• Denis Leary
• Mike Birbiglia
• Dave Chapelle (not holding my breath on this one)

It’d be nice to see big names like Seinfeld or Bill Cosby, but not so much for the laugh factor as much as witnessing a comedy legend.  I really wish I’d been able to see George Carlin before he passed. I keep a couple of his CDs in the car for long road trips & always hoped I’d get the chance to see him one day.  He was scheduled to appear in Vancouver too which was partly why I was so shocked by his death; also, of course, because we expect cantankerous old farts like Carlin to outlive us all. 

Phew!  I had an insanely busy, but productive few days completing 3 new paintings, starting on a few other ones and testing out a new process.  I usually work on one painting at a time, start to finish.  This week I tried sketching out some ideas, picking 3 I wanted to work on and then doing the backgrounds for all 3 at the same time.  It was a major time saver and suits my scatterbrain ADD personality perfectly to have various paintings laying around my studio space in various states of completion.  *grin*

Speaking of scatterbrained, we decided last night that we’re going to Seattle today. One of my favorite people is flying to Thailand for a backpacking year long adventure and he has a 4 hour layover in Seattle. Despite being insanely jealous of his trip, we’re driving down to get in an airport visit since it’ll be our last chance to see him for a good long while.  John and I have always wanted to see Thailand, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possiblility that we could meet up with him at some point in the next year, but with the boy living here full time now and me embarking on my career as a working artist, getting away is a little sticky.

Fortunately getting away to Seattle is a breeze! Tomorrow is a holiday, so we’re planning to hit the Science Fiction Museum/Music Experience with my nephews.  Now I just gotta get packed up & ready to go before the traffic gets crazy.  And pack my sketchbook for the drive. 

Christmas cards

Yay! I picked up my Christmas cards from the printer yesterday and am thrilled with how well they turned out. They’re blank inside so you’re free to add your own personal message. I’m planning to use them for the holidays, but I think this foxy gal would make for sweet correspondence all winter long.

Click here to buy a set of 10 cards (including envelopes) >

I have lots of things I want to share with you, but I’ve been so sick for the last week (10 days?) that I’ve had absolutely no energy to do anything.  I don’t think I’ve ever been sick for this long before.  I keep coughing and coughing and coughing.  I finally lost my voice this weekend though it’s starting to come back today.

One of the downsides to being self-employed is that you don’t get “sick days”.  I can’t imagine a job that would have allowed me to take over a week off like this anyway, but with my froggy throat and constant hacking, I wouldn’t have had any other option.  Customer service?  An office job?  I would’ve been sent straight home.

As my body starts to fight this bug, I can pop on my computer for a bit amid piles of Kleenex and tea cups.  I can check my email and put out any major fires.  But I have zero energy to do any real creative work.  That just makes me feel even more out of touch with myself.

I forced myself to go to my painting class last week and it was a huge struggle to get through the class with my eyes open.  I’m sure all of my coughing and sniffling was annoying to the other students too.  Tomorrow I have class again and I’m still sick and still haven’t done my homework.  I need this fog lifted!  I need my SELF back!

Health is one of those things that I think most of us take for granted until there’s a problem.  If this was something serious, I’m not sure what I’d do.  I’ve been self-employed since my early 20s and it has crossed my mind from time to time that if I were really sick or in a car accident or something major, I’d be in trouble.

If I don’t work, I don’t get paid.  Sometimes even when I *do* work, I don’t get paid!  There is no holiday pay or sick days or health insurance.  Living in Canada means that I would never have medical bills, and I’m definitely grateful for that, but that wouldn’t keep a roof over my head if I were unable to work.

I’ve been offered various insurance plans over the years for self-employed folks, but I think I would have a difficult time being able to demonstrate a loss of income to an insurance company.  My income fluctuates wildly.  I can hardly submit on an insurance claim – “Well, I think I would’ve painted 23 canvases.  I’m pretty sure they would’ve all sold this month.  Plus a few from last month.  Plus a bunch of prints.  How many?  How about…say…40?”

Before I was painting it wouldn’t have been much different.  Whatever the field, it has always came down to sales, which are unpredictable.  I figure the last thing I’d want to be doing when my health is in dire straits is arguing with an insurance company about how much money I might have, could have, should have been earning.  Sounds like my monthly budget meeting with myself!