I’ve made no secret of the fact that I don’t do christmas. There are many reasons and evolutions of my dislike of the holiday. I’ve written about some of them in the past and may do so again in the future, but not today. In a way, now, it’s one of my favorite days. Weird, right? But it’s a ‘dead’ day. It’s a day in which there are no expectations, no demands on my time or attention, no things that need to be done because the country has basically shut down, quiet and still. I couldn’t get anything done even if I wanted to. It’s a day when I can do whatever I want or not do anything.
So what did I do yesterday? I wrote some, sort of a chapter in the biography of my life which I may add to at some point and I may or may not ever publish. I worked on my painting finishing the last tree and starting on the background,
I made an apple crostata with some of the apples from SHARE.
I fed the outdoor cats and gave them their daily dose of affection. Even Twin who now lets me pet him fully with long strokes before I put out the food instead of just his head while he eats though I have to approach him slowly. It took almost a year for him to trust me enough for this while I’ve been able to pick up and cuddle the other two for six months.
And now that the day is over I can post a picture of my latest drawing. I did it as a gift for my brother. He and Pam exchanged gifts every year but it’s been decades since I sent him anything even though he always sends some edible goodie to me. But Pam is gone, the glue that held us together so now more effort is required of me to have a better relationship with my brother. So, one of the things my brother does is keep honey bees, hence the subject of this drawing. The bee itself is 3" x 3", colored pencil.
Speaking of bees, this bumble bee was burrowing deep into the throats of the pink trumpet flowers.
I like what you wrote on 37 Paddington's blog about Christmas and agree with you. Christmas day always makes me feel less than the rest of the world. Sigh. I'm glad you had a good day, a dead day:) And that bee is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful bee drawing, and I can't wait to see the birch trees finished. So glad you enjoyed the day as you wished. That's always the best choice we can make.
ReplyDeleteThat bee is beautiful - I'm sure your brother felt well loved. I sometimes wish I could just treat Christmas day as a dead day - but frankly I need the socialization or I turn into a total lump. Today is a quiet day for us - our plans fell through (Mike's aunt has COVID poor thing) so I've been able to just lounge around although I did spend some quality time cutting up boxes.
ReplyDeleteYour art is amazing. The bee in such excellent detail. We also did not do xmas, haven't since the child has grown and gone. It feels fine.
ReplyDeleteYour drawings are fabulous, Ellen. What a wonderful talent you have.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmases have been spent in Cozumel. No obligations, no last-minute panic, just that beautiful sea and sky, that sweet soft air, friendly people saying, "Felice Navidad!" It is no struggle for me to answer them in kind.
ReplyDeleteI love your bumblebee.
There is no gift better than someone's art!
ReplyDeleteCodex: Love the Bee. Very similar to my style. I must ask. Colored pencil only? Which brand? Left the highlight or used white?
ReplyDeletethe bee? colored pencil only. I use prismacolor and bruynzeel colored pencils. left the highlights white but also used a little white pencil and a touch of very light gray.
DeleteCodex: Thank you. I use prismacolor as well. Very blendable. Not familiar with the other brand. Good? Try gouache white titanium for highlights. Small brush straight out of the tube. No water.
DeleteReally like your Bee.
Another well done Christmas. Keeping your brother in touch with the family makes me smile. I like the bee.
ReplyDelete