Art Night 2: Wild, Crazy & Noisy

Tonite, I really made Art. I painted half a tree.

I got mad skills.

wild art skillz

Last week, I painted my canvas blue and white. Today, my teacher showed me some trees and we decided on this wild tree that reminds me of the moors of Wuthering Heights, even though there weren't too many trees there. It also reminds me a little bit of the 'nature gone wild' bits in Macbeth. Love it.

I had to trace it, project it and copy it because obviously I can't do it on my own in an hour. But I'm not too shabby. This tree was one that Teacher really likes, and she said it reminds her of NL. Steph and I cracked up laughing, and Steph said that maybe it could be on the Avalon peninsula. The other trees we were looking at, the skinny little birch trees, were more like the ones from the west coast, where we are from.

The tree actually extends all the way up to the top and all the way across. This is just the beginning. There is all kinds of brown and black paint in there, all mixed up together. Teacher comes by and as quietly as mouse, leans over my shoulder and while I am intensely concentrating, has a little chat with me - what a fright!

I gotta hand it to my teacher - she certainly can see things in a piece of work that I don't, at least not until I can view it from a different perspective, like through the lens of a camera. This photo makes the painting look so different.

When I am painting, I have a system: black paint, water, dab on plate, brown paint, canvas. Brown paint, canvas. That's my routine. Otherwise, my tree looks funny. If I knew what I was doing, I would be dangerous!

Meanwhile, Steph is starting at square 1 again (literally). She loves starting over. Or she loves working on the 'B', I guess. That girl is crazy.

this makes Steph's hand look very manly

This time, she is working with India Ink. We decided that she should put on gloves in case she got it on her hands because that stuff stains so badly. So there she is, looking like a tattoo artist for paper.

Man, does she ever like the letter B.

Maybe she likes to put off the exciting stuff. By the time she gets to putting the silver stuff where the actual letter is, I'm going to pass out from excitement. You see, there are three steps to the lettering:

1. India Ink on the dark spots (only she is after using every dark type of thing she can think about so far... grape kool-aid, blue pen, coffee, black paint, now India Ink)

2. silver foil on the letter itself

3. colouring the flowers

At this rate, she might not have the four letters done by the time her wedding rolls around NEXT August. Look at her face - she sure is happy about the whole situation!

woohoo! B!

What happens if she gets Steps 1 & 2 done on all 4 letters, and then decides she doesn't like the colours she puts on the flowers? For the love of God, I bet you she will start all over. Then: Art Night OFF. No more Art for Steph - she will be kicked out of class for wasting supplies.

Steph's plan last week was to finally try sushi. I told her that she should try eating 'bait' because it was so good. She told me tonite that she tried it and loved it, so she will be going back. I love eating 'bait' too. Hopefully she won't get it in her head to eat real fishing bait when she goes back home for her wedding.

Erin, one of the other girls, had to put on her iPod tonite. She said she gets easily distracted, even by the sound of too many voices. As soon as I came in (of course, I was late), she came over, and she said, "I want to be here, I love Art Night, but seriously, I need to concentrate!" I said, "Bust out the iPod." "Good idea," she said, "but I have no earbuds!" Off she went to the school lab to get some, but of course we don't have snazzy earbuds, we have the big old-school head phones that came out with the 1980s walkman, so she had to wear those with her iPod. 'Excuse me, the 80s called, they'd like their headphones back!' But she rocked out with the big old earmuffs on, and it was all good. She is doing a picture of the Eiffel Tower and it is very pretty. Maybe she will let me take a picture of her art one day. It's not like she refused; I just didn't think to ask.

It will be fantastic when we all have our work done - I don't know where I will put mine. I don't really have anywhere to hang it but I'll figure it out. At her wedding, Steph will probably specifically point out her pictures to make sure everyone notices them. Or maybe they will be in picture frames ON the head table, right at the very front where no one can miss them.

Steph, to her guests, "Yeah, this is how I roll: handmade silver-foil lettering surname on my table, b!tches. What did you have - oh, nothing? ... a streamer? ... a Congratulations sign? Hmmm. Should've planned better, I guess."

Then she will just sit, all smug behind her 4 letters, and not let anyone know that it took her almost a year and a half to make them because she had to start them 4 or 5 times EACH.

Me, sitting on my couch, looking at my picture every now and again, "Yeah, I'm awesome. Look at those branches!"

Erin, at her house, "Wow, that picture reminds me of all those noisy people!"