Celebrated the BF's birthday on Tuesday. I only had $1.25 to my name (95% of my paycheck is going towards my credit card bills), so he had to come pick me up and pay for dinner, which was kind of sucky of me! But I like to think that I made it up to him. I baked a cake and gave him a present he claimed to love. I wasn't sure if he'd love it or hate it, so I was really nervous. I painted a portrait of him! I hadn't really painted since high school, and was never very good at it, but I got a gust of inspiration and gave it a shot. He loved the results and sent pictures to his friends and family. He said two people asked about my rates, and after seeing the painting, his sister told him he should marry me! Bless her heart : ) (I met her a few weeks ago. She was very nice. I don't think it was like "omigod, she's so talented, marry her", but more like, "omigod, that's intense; only a girl who really loved you would spend months painting you, marry her").
I don't mean to brag, but it's kind of exciting! When I let myself get caught up in his ego strokes, I feel like I've finally stumbled upon something that I do half-way decently... It probably sucks, but I wouldn't know that... ignorance is bliss! I hesitate to put it here because it will probably ruin the illusion that I have a tiny speck of talent. He's just probably being nice to me and building me up, because what asshole would tell his girlfriend that he hates her birthday gift and that she's a talentless hack?
Anyway, the colors are richer/ deeper than what you see here, but I had to take the picture without a flash, so it desaturated the color. Also, I ran out of time. I couldn't get the glasses quite right, but oh well... close enough:
I love the painting. Even though I have never seen your BF, I feel the emotion behind the piece. The colors are visually stunning. The cluster of colors, give the appearance of a complex composition. The palette is striking. You should develop this talent. We have a tendency to mock or minimize our talents. This may be another avenue for monetary gain for you…..Believe it or not, I still have the sketch you did of me 10 years ago in my apartment in Atlanta…..accept the compliments. I think they are reflective of your talent....
ReplyDeleteI like it alot! Good Job!
ReplyDeleteYOUR PAINTING SUCKS!
ReplyDelete...Yet it seems to please many. I will gladly display it in my gallery for 60% of the profits.
Love, love, love the softness of the curves of his face contrasted with the triangulated coloring. Nice balance. Also for what it's worth, liked the comment by anonymous above, haha. ;) Oh... say it ain't so.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on Precious - was the lead actor amazing, how did they approach the subject, what parts made ppl laugh? Care to give a little more color? I read the review in the Times, it was a Critics' pick, but I don't know if they'll release this movie where I'm at. We can pretty much only count on distributors importing "Fastest and Most Furious, Like, Ever, XII" ;D (okay fine I need my action movie fix sometimes too, I just wish we also got the really good stuff like this film.) Would like to see Precious.
Ah, thanks, guys... I appreciate all of your lies, I mean kind words!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I don't remember sketching you, but that does sound familiar. You know how my memory is! Well, I'll definitely keep playing around with this in my spare time. I promised to paint his son for a companion piece, so I'll probably do that sometime in the new year. Right now I'm trying to stay focused on generating definite income, not "maybe income." I have a December 31, 2009 deadline to meet. But after that, I plan to spend more time sewing, painting and acting. Thanks for the encouragement : )
Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Funches! Et bonne anniversaire!
Anonymous: Thank you for your honesty. And I will gladly be exploited by you! And NOW I'm truly beginning to feel like a real artist ; ) ha ha!
Anonymous: Thanks for the kind art critique! Re: Precious, the lead actor, Gabby, was amazing. And Mo'Nique blew me away, too. She was raw. I recommend the movie, although it wasn't as uplifting as the reviews made it sound. The end was a little mixed- happy and sad- but it felt real and authentic. It definitely takes you on a gritty ride.
SLIGHT MOVIE SPOILER AHEAD:
I don't want to tell you what they were laughing at without giving away the movie. But I will tell you one line that they laughed at, in the event that you watch it. The line was, "Precious, come take care of me." I paraphrase it a bit to prevent totally spoiling the movie, but you'll know it when you hear it. To me, in the context that it was used, it was the most horrifying and shocking line in the movie. And it was met with uproarious laughter and mimicry. WTF?!
P.S. To be fair to the audience, the uproarious laughter held a high percentage of screams of disbelief in it. But there was definitely just some plain ol' laughter.
ReplyDeleteMORE SPOILERS
ReplyDeleteGot it. I thought it would've been something else. That's disturbing. I know enough about the story to guess what that was about. Would've brought me to tears, I'm pretty sure.
I love your painting and think it's better than anything you could have bought! You should really nurture your talent and keep painting. Maybe you could sell some pieces at a Saturday market? There's also a website called Etsy.com for independent artists to sell their work online. I bet the holidays are a good time of year to sell art. Happy painting!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: Yeah, the BF and I were pretty disturbed by it.
ReplyDeleteKara, I swear I was just thinking about you this morning. I really need to check in on you! Not sure what you're up to these days... hope you're okay. Anyway, thanks for the website info. I could totally be the Saturday market chick, selling my wares and crafts! Sounds fun : )
p.s. Kara, I just checked out that etsy site and I'm hooked! Even if I never sell anything on there, I'm definitely going to try and buy gifts on there when I can afford it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice job - that was a very thoughtful gift.
ReplyDelete