Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Golden Age SOLD

The Golden Age SOLD
16" x 20" watercolor

Here's the Christmas commission I talked about in an earlier post but couldn't show you until now. I hope you all had a great holiday! We did. :) Although, I'm still trying to figure out how many miles I need to run in order to work off all the Christmas candy I ate. Probably more than I want to know. 

Every time I worked on this painting, I couldn't help but think of those few, brief times in my own boys life where they seemed to be getting along perfectly. No arguments, no teasing, or fighting. That was truly a golden age. And one that was over far too quickly.

Because now, this is what I hear, all too often:

Kid A, Kid B, or sometimes even my littlest, three year old Kid C: "Mo-ooom (see how the syllables of my name have been drawn out in a supremely offended tone, this adds emphasis to the victim's case) he's looking at me."

Me: "Oh really? That's nice babe." (Sometimes if I'm very lucky, this indifferent response is enough to subdue the situation)

Kid A, B, or C: "But, Mo-ooom, he's LOOKING at me!" (clearly this is not one of those times)

Me: *sigh* "Well, have you asked him if he needs anything?" (After my first failed attempt at indifference I have now resorted to peaceful problem solving. Because surely he wouldn't be LOOKING at his brother without just cause now would he?)

Kid A, B, or C: "No!" (this is said with little arms folded over little boy chests with a huff. Hmph!!)

Me: *double sigh* "Well, maybe you could give that a try." 

Kid A, B, or C: *shakes head emphatically* "Nope, Mom, I won't."

Me: "And why not?" (this is where my patience is starting to grow rather thin. I count to ten)

Kid A, B, or C: "Because he's still LOOKING at me!"

Me: *brief pause so I can count to 100* I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose and close my eyes, then I say, "Darling, unless he's looking at you with laser beams shooting out of his eyes I really don't see the problem."

Kid A, B, or C: Gives me a look that says a deep injustice has been wrought upon him and all his mother can say is that there's not a problem unless laser beams are involved! Then with blue eyes glinting, he asks me, "Mom, when does Dad get home?"

Because apparently Moms just don't understand the problems of brothers LOOKING at each other. Go figure.  

*This painting helped me work on one of my unspoken goals I've had for this year: work on expressing emotion in my paintings without relying on facial expressions.
Since we couldn't see the faces of these two darlings I had to focus on other things in order to get a message across. Mainly, gesture, and movement. I personally, find paintings of people where we can't see the faces to be deeply moving, if the gesture of the figures is convincing. (Karin Jurick for instance is a MASTER of this. I could stare at her paintings of people studying paintings for hours. Literally.)
I'm hoping I was able to pull that off here. My new collector seemed very happy with it. :) I'm hoping his wife was too, since it was a gift for her.

See you next week everyone and Happy New Year!! :))) Huzzah!!

21 comments:

  1. It's darling. I'm amazed at how much painting you still got done over the holidays! I need to dust my brushes back off now :) The lighting on your Prince of Peace painting is amazing too, as usual.

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  2. Une aquarelle remarquable, tant sur la technique que l'émotion...
    Elle déclenche en moi des souvenirs... Ceux de mes quatre enfants jeunes... Surtout Fauve et Yannis-William qui n'ont que 22 mois d'écart. Ils ne se séparaient jamais. S'ils se fâchaient, cela ne pouvait pas durer longtemps...
    Lorsque son frère est parti vivre en Bretagne, elle allait le rejoindre le plus souvent possible. Et là-bas elle a rencontré son amoureux. Depuis elle vit juste la porte à côté de son frère...
    Cette peinture me fait réellement penser à eux...
    La magie de ta peinture a opéré...
    Effectivement très souvent les personnages vus de dos provoquent des sensations étranges qui ouvrent les tiroirs de notre mémoire...
    Très joli travail.
    Tous mes voeux, afin que tout soit possible, y compris le bonheur.
    gros bisous

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  3. This is just amazing. You have conveyed the emotion involved here completely without even showing the faces. You are on your way to becoming a complete artist.
    Best wishes,

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  4. Very sweet, Crystal. Remember those "simpler" times????

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  5. Wonderful job, Crystal - has your signature "glow" to it, and the detail in the girl's hair and boy's shirt is just amazing!

    I imagine that this painting made the recipient unbelievably happy on Christmas morning :).

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  6. I am still smiling because you really dont understand the problems of 'LOOKING'. ha ha ha..
    Anyway this painting is dreamy almost surrealistic. It just transports you to some place.. some good place..

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  7. I'd say you more than accomplished your goal. Love the tilt of the boys head, the fact that his hand is over top of hers gripping it. And as always they seem lit from within.
    Use to hear those conversations with my son and daughter now I hear it between my Grand-daughters, too funny!

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  8. I just found your blog and wow! Your painting are soooo beautiful. You do have emotion it them. They look so life like. You Rock!!

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  9. The body language is perfect. The tilt of the head, the slow pensive stroll, the wanting to hold hands and be together. Awesome as always. ;-)

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  10. Love the gestures, the movement of the girl's hair, the wrinkles in the shorts and of course as everyone has pointed the tilt of his head :) I think your new collector will come back for more!

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  11. What a charming painting! You've thoroughly succeeded in conveying emotion so beautifully. And I love the story of your kids. Brought back memories of similar times with my own. :)

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  12. Just incredible! Love the light and their adorable body language!

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  13. Wonderful painting! You really have captured the body language!

    And I have to laugh about the "LOOKING" at each other thing - I have three little boys too and have lived that exact scene ;-)

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  14. incredible crystal!!! what a lovely work of art this is! bravo!!

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  15. Your painting is amazing:) I really love this one. I haven't been doing anything creative for months now.....you inspire me to get back to it. Hope you have a wonderful New Years! -Dawn-

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  16. I love the innocence of this painting, Crystal!! Beautiful piece.

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  17. Love this piece. Something almost Rockwellian about it. Love the detail in the hair especially.

    Hope you have a wonderful New Year.

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  18. Nice painting and touching scene. May you have a good and healthy 2012. Happy New Year.

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  19. Amazing and touching. I think you've got a good sense to creating that sweet moment...the ones we love to save from our children. Beautiful!!!

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  20. Oh it truly is beautiful! I agree that sometimes painting figures without faces can often be even more moving because you can relate them to people in your own life. Have you seen 'Neil Buchanen's new collection called 'Hope Street'? I am absolutely positive you will love it! You really must look it up! :0)

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment they really do mean so much to me! Because not all bloggers have their email enabled so I can reply directly through email I will try to reply here in the comments. If I don't please forgive me, life must have been hectic that day! :)) Huzzah!!

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