the other day, on our day off, we put on a pot of coffee and a beatles album (the only vinyl we own right now)... we moseyd around and i decided to paint my first still life while waiting to prep another canvas... it can't be
that hard, right? well, after frustrating attempts for my water line in the vase to look like more than sludge and wishing that like Cézanne I had done an opaque vase...
but instead, i plugged along. like most projects, i got tired halfway and left my post. later while dirk and i were watching tv, i heard Reed tinkering out in the other room. now, i rested on the fact that i explicitly told him that was "mommy's paint" and reed's paint was on the table. i was so confident that i said "wouldn't it be funny if Reed was painting all over it?" i thought it was funny at the time, because i didn't think he'd really do it. well, i came out later and saw him covered from head to toe in yellow acrylic paint (yellow ochre to be exact) including easel, floor, chair, and yes, the canvas. i was able to salvage it a bit with rinsing it off under water and smearing the yellow paint around. it gave it a nice.... "glow". i'd like to say that Reed ruined a good attempt at still life, but i can't lie, my rudimentary attempt was actually enhanced by Reed's hasty little hand. i still have a lot left to finish on the daffodils and vase that got smeared away, but here is the result. i wish i would have taken a picture of the yellow covered canvas. the vase and flowers were buried deep deep under layers of finger-smeared paint. the funny thing is (don't tell Reed) that it didn't really make me mad or upset. maybe because it was a crappy painting, but maybe cuz i am excited that he has such interest. i mean, hey, he stayed on the canvas (for the most part!) and didn't touch the walls or table.
