Immortality

I'll be leaving in a short while to drive down island to the home of a fellow artist, Charlotte Madison to have my zestful (snort*) self immortalized in a portrait. You may recall an earlier post where I mentioned this - I believe I was blithering on about 'photogenic-ness - (is that a word...?) (it needs to be) and Charlotte had written to invite me to be a part of her painting series "Artists of Vancouver Island". Yessum, that's today. Apart from the driving - which I dislike - and trying to find my way to somewhere I've never been before - which I dislike even more - I'm pretty chuffed.  It has me musing on immortality because, let's face it, the painting will last longer than me....at least I hope/think so. Actually if I get real hair-splitty about this whole life I lead, everything I create will live on past my physical body self.....can't speak to the reincarnated self or the - heavens above - haunting/ghost self. I'll try to get back to you on that. 

Anyandwe'reoffagainway, I do sometimes wonder about what gets left behind. It is entirely possible the family will have a glorious bonfire and dance with abandon around the flames of all the .... stuff. Ha! I won't be there to voice an opinion one way or another. 

I do have a couple of very old paintings that came down through my family painted by my paternal Grandmother and my Great-Aunt, which I love to bits as ( and this is even though I'm not connected genetically) they make me feel this lovely thread of creative force running across time through the women to me. 

Coolio. 

I am also bringing 4 different 'jackets' to pose in, depending on what colour/texture/feel Charlotte is aiming for. 

It will be odd to be on the other side of the canvas so to speak. 

Other than that, here's what we've been toiling over the last week and why I didn't post on my usual Sunday time slot.

"Elf Doll" and what a minx this creation has been. That face has been endless hours of shit fun, what with sanding all the little curves and so forth and redoing the ears about 4 times 'cause I changed my mind on what it was going to be and gluing down all the little bits of the mohair curls all over the head only to knock out one of the eyes  , I kid you not! and having to carefully take off the hair, cut open the head, reattach the errant eye, and repair hole .....my great bumbling gods it was torment! Did you hear the screaming? Oh, and the hands are painted because as I was repairing I inadvertently mushed paint on the hand.....I guess it could have been worse. 
All in the life of an artist. 
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly repair.....
The painting is a little illustration by Jaeme Bereal from a child's book about an artist named "Agusta Savage" who really had some good/bad/ugly. Her father smashed up all her sculptures and tore up her paintings when she was young. Ouch. But she persevered and became recognized in her later years. 
I relate. 
Just keep on keepin' on.
PS...I will be making outfit for the minx later. Believe me it will not be going out into the world in it's skivvies. But the hat IS great, huh? Now I have "You Can Keep Your Hat On" by good old what's his name that I really liked...Randy Newman???.....going through my head. Driving music. 
Sheesh.