Oh What a Feeling - What a Rush!!

Intro to airbrushing and oil painting today, all the smelly, messy business. I had everyone try spraying over a rock since it'll be covered later so no risk. The girl doing the peace sign there proved to be a natural and she came away quite committed to figuring out how to obtain her own set-up. I should have just let her spray on all the shafts of light since she seemed to have a better feel for it than I did today. (I haven't airbrushed in almost a year and it's been several years since I used this particular model)

These 2 students are only in grade 9 but have the most amazing degree of initiative and confidence.

I commented to the art teacher that this mural is at a point now where it wouldn't matter if I was in a traffic accident now*...it's far enough along that it can be considered done and students could continue on with it from here.

*that's how I gauge if a project is near to completion

Eaten Alive!!

Backstage, while no one is looking Audrey II snacks on a scenic painter...

Racing Toward The Finish Line

Added the finishing touches to Skid Row last night - painted brick as high as I could reach and then added some really crudely done graffiti down below.
I am sooo done with this. No, wait...maybe I'll just pick at that section over there...

Here is the full set with the largest version of Audrey II sitting in the shop like a giant fungus.
It'll be a thing to behold once it's been painted and 'dressed' in leaves.
Three people can fit inside, though they'll soon expire due to the trapped heat.

Real, Authentic Graffiti

Following a bit of research into 1960's era graffiti for Musical Theatre's production of Little Shop of Horrors, I discovered/remembered that the art form was at a very primitive stage and so decided that I was more than qualified to apply the spray painted stuff and would open up the faux concrete stairs to contributions from any student who wished to participate. Members of the tech crew had the first go at it - the 2 girls who initially heard my offer gasped 'really??!' ran off to grab markers. I overheard one of them saying "I feel like such a rebel!"
I've warned them that their creation may be obscured by later graffiti but they already knew that it'll have to be layered to achieve the most authentic look possible.

My Tiny Jaded Ariel

Here's my little darling mermaid many years ago! The links didn't work in the comment section so I'll just have to post it.

Paradise Sans Plumbing

Fraser Lake is a fine place even without water, electricity, internet...until it snows, which is what happened the day after this photo. Spring is still just creeping along there. The husband thought that ash was blowing out of the fire pit until he realized that it was melting on his cheek. : 0
So now we're in Smithers.

The only stucture on the property thus far.

Fraser Lake - where we keep our outhouse

No Exit For You!

Cause there's a crazy old dance lady in the way!

Got my friend to snap a few photos of me after the performance - just so I know it really happened. The husband didn't attend...I'd sort of expected that but he felt he should right up until I showed him the brief hip-hop bit we did at the end of the number...he claimed that 'your paintings are bad enough' (as in personal and potentially revealing)* and he's a rather private person.

hmmm - I should really stir things up and get all famous on him!

*and when it comes to my writing, holy crap will he ever avoid reading it!

Seaweed!

The younger dancers in our recital last night performed The Little Mermaid. I found the seaweed adorable!!!
Might take a while till I have the guts to post my audacious, ancient old carcass...

Is My Face Red Or What?!

Turns out that the spiny dogfish does not have the longest gestation among vertebrates.
And after I went and made such a big deal about it to the high school students who are working on our underwater mural!
Apparently Lanza's Alpine Salamander beats the dogfish's 24 month gestation by a whole year...I just don't know how I'll be able to look into those innocent little faces again...

Inch By Inch

Roe by roe *cough *cough*

The roe will have to be one of the last items included in this mural. I was going to either paint it myself - herring roe on kelp - or force it upon some hapless student but Ville (exchange student from Finland) proposed it himself, though with his less than perfect English he described it as 'those balls on seaweed' . The only other selection for the mural that impressed me as much was from a grade 11 fellow who decided from the very beginning that he would be adding nudibranchs to the environment. He's on his second one which is the 'orange peel nudibranch' and it may prove a bit challenging as it doesn't have all the ethereal, floaty bits to distinguish it but I will guide him as best I can.

It's exciting to see things start to appear and the Haisla creatures work beautifully with the more graphic style backgroud and edge elements.

May Melt-down

I'd been thinking it's been a while since my last lament over TwinB's situation...
At present she's been out of work for one week, off the meds for three - and all the while with plumbing that's only been working intermittently since last Wednesday. So far she's been coping fairly well though I can't help but be a little on edge especially now that she's heading into the pms zone. (it's actually pmdd but most folks aren't so aware of the term) Can't help but recall a few previous Mays that were most unpleasant...
I hate cycles.

In Production

I am not only starting paintings but have also been completing paintings! This is the first version I've painted from the photos I took a few weeks back. The top part of the painting in shadow still needs work and I'll be painting a small rusty plaque in the space below that reads 'unrequited'. And then I'll be done!

Only 20 more to go...

It's A New Card!

My very first business card. Hurray for vistaprint - finally got me to tackle this little chore!

I know it's not the most amazing business card in the world but at least I have one now.

If I Were Editor-

- there would be a 20 year moratorium on titles composed of 'The ...insert title ...'s daughter'. You know, such as The Memory Keeper's Daughter, The General's Daughter, The Jew's Daughter...and on to infinity.

- I would not tolerate any more freakin British Columbia pioneer memoirs with titles that start with 'Never'. 'Never Chop Your Rope' ...'Never Poke a Porcupine In The Eye'...'Never Store Your Britches In The Crick'...okay I made up the last two but I swear every second stinking pioneer account published here seems to begin with 'Never'.

- and if in charge at a news agency where a reporter submitted an article referring to a small town as 'sleepy' they'd be fired on the spot.
Each time Global TV comes to town to cover our latest atrocity they always introduce Kitimat as 'sleepy' and somehow manage to find a citizen who - wide eyed - will go on about how nothing like this has ever happened here.

- did I mention that I'm pms-ing??