We Li'l Pits

There are a lot of Pits in this town. We're some of them.

[anjyepit]

Day 25: Aaaaahhhhh!! I love this messy mix of color! The green was totally unexpected. I threw some red and yellow into black and last minute added some khaki and this is what happened. I'm so excited. The littles helped me smear and I loved watching them get messy with their little fingers and palms. Much hysterical Ezra laughter. I've had such a creative dry spell recently, it's been a very intense and internal time, but coming through it has been like beginning to breaking out of a cocoon. It's all so much brighter and better, more colorful, and I feel so different. All this and I'm not even out yet.

[anjyepit]

Day 24: I have not given up!!! I used the painting as a tarp for some bottles I painted and never used. (anyone want some brightly colored soda bottles?) I tipped it up and used my finger tips to help it down a bit. i've maxed out again, so on to another idea.

[anjyepit]

Found them! Day 17: I was playing with a pouring medium i bought. Yay! Day18: Starting fresh, since the original idea I had didn't pan out the way I wanted.

[anjyepit]

Day 23: I didn't need a coat today. This is how I feel about it.

[anjyepit]

Day 22: there is soooo much texture on this canvas and I really want to show it off. So I'm trying to whitewash and maybe add a glaze to bring out the texture. I don't know, the glaze thing didn't work so well the last time. But practice makes perfect. Only 8 more days!!!

[anjyepit]

Day 21: Aren't glazes supposed to bring new life to stuff? Poor color choice, I think. Blargh. I'll try again...

[anjyepit]

Day 20: I really don't know what I'm doing at this point. I like this warm orange-y color and I thought it would look good with the turquoise and green but I didn't have a plan so this happened. I'm not impressed and I'm looking forward to painting over it. I'm not taking the time to hang out with the Holy Spirit like I usually do and I'm feeling like it shows. Maybe it just shows in how I feel, disconnected, aloof, a little disappointed. Ten more days...

[anjyepit]

Day 19: what happens if you paint for a few days and the pictures you took are lost? Can I still be on day 19 even if I have no proof? I tried something out that didn’t work at all, so I used a pouring medium on it. That looked super cool but it wasn’t what I wanted, so to black it went and now I’m here. I had lime green on my mind so I played with that today. I played in the paint with the pads of my fingers. I really like how mixed and overlapped each other, plus it has a nice texture. I’ve been drawing blanks for ideas and have lost my enthusiasm to continue, but I know it will come back.

[anjyepit]

We had a day of doctor's appointments yesterday, but we found a few minutes to run around Manito. Gideon didn't know I lived here, which was adorable, and he was extra excited to see where Momma grew up and played. I used to bring the bigs to the pond when they were little so there were extra sweet memories on which to linger. Plus I always love seeing my little sissy, even when she steals my new mug...

[anjyepit]

Day 16: still working on a plan. I don't know if this is acceptable for this challenge but I'm feeling inspired and don't want to get sidetracked. Excited to see what takes shape over the coming days.

[anjyepit]

It's strange how much of a difference 1/2 a centimeter can make. It gives me pause to think that a slightly smaller eye, or thinner mouth, more pointed nose, makes a different face, a different person. The possibilities are endless. I wonder if the face I drew before I tweaked the eyes is the face of a boy somewhere.

[anjyepit]

Day 15: I'm formulating a plan. It may or may not involve some portraits. I'm hoping I can build on this for the next 15 days and not end up painting over it all just because I have nothing left to do. Today I have hope, and it feels good.

[anjyepit]

I threw some paint on these two. Somehow I've become slightly Asian and I don't know who's mouth is on me. Li'l Dub, on the other hand, is just lovely. That's all.

[anjyepit]

Day 14.5: today is a pajama day. What got me out of bed was hunger pangs. I tried this morning, but I spilled mouth poison over everyone and just gave up. After the house was quiet, I ventured into the kitchen for some eggs and coffee. I watched my little lion chase birds in the sun while Papa did yard work. It made me smile. My good friend gave me permission to rest as long as I don’t let it consume me, so I’m going to try. I’m trying my hand at faces today. I’m not above a little tracing, because hey, I know my limits. When I was younger and living at my sister’s, I’d paint these portraits of my kids and sketch in this book I bought myself for journalling. I always felt like it wasn’t really art because I’d use actual pictures to reference and whatnot. But lots of artists do that, right? Can I still be an artist even if I can’t draw what I imagine? I don’t know why it feels like faking it… So that’s what I’m doing today. Sketching, tracing, shading, then maybe some color. And a little shout out to @h_is_for_love for having the cutest bath baby ever.

[anjyepit]

Day 14: Bland squares. I can't tell if I'm craving it or trapped by it. On one hand, simple, bland, boring squares sound pleasant. They don't cause trouble, not much is expected of them, therefore they tend not to disappoint. They just hang out, being boring and simple, not getting much notice. On the other hand, trying to be a boring, bland square when you are a hot mess of color that splatters more on the windows and in hair than on the canvas, that's like a prison sentence. I can only pretend for so long before I explode over everything and everyone around me. Sometimes those explosions are full of happy yellows, pinks and turquoises that all blend together to create something unexpectedly lovely. Sometimes it's all reds and rage, or black sorrows so thick and heavy, no one can come up for air. I can't tell if I'm supposed to muscle my way toward bland or let the hot mess take over. Honestly, neither feel good to me. Neither of them give glory and both of them make me feel helpless. This is where I am today, and I haven't even touched the idea of what to make for dinner.

[anjyepit]

As a side note, I really love seeing my babes find joy in being creative. My little lion sings and strums, draws, paints, dances, and makes believe harder than I ever thought he would. Such a shy little extrovert, a sweet boy with a big roar.

[anjyepit]

Day 13: The last couple days have really stunk. A sick kid, up all night with fever induced hallucinations, too much day sleep leading to a real sense of uselessness, fighting about dumb things that just make me feel dumb, and the battle of flesh and spirit is raging away with fresh intensity. I’ve been trying to escape it all, TV shows, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever, I just don’t want to deal with reality today. Does that ever really work? Husband comes home, kids come home, and I’m not prepared for any of it. I spent too much time escaping and now the call to arms, but all of my armor is tucked in a book hanging on a floating shelf in my kitchen. And this challenge. What do you create on days when there’s no creativity in you? New paints, palette knives, glazes, yes. Passion, life, mystery, no. Squirt paint, grab brush, quote Karate Kid “paint the fence. Up and down.” It took way less time than I wanted and now I’m back to crying babes, dirty looks and a general resistance to all things good and pure. I’ll try again tomorrow.