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.
ReplyDeletethanks Pixie. I have a lot of objections to christmas and not just that I rejected christian theology decades ago but I admit there is little pressure on me to participate as my kids and grandkids are all grown.
DeleteBeautiful 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.
ReplyDeletethanks Barbara. I started on the background of the painting and I already don't like it. but that's typical.
DeleteThat 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.
ReplyDeleteit did come out really well. sometimes I surprise myself.
DeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeletethank you. it was easier than I thought it was going to be, thought it would be a bigger challenge.
DeleteYour drawings are fabulous, Ellen. What a wonderful talent you have.
ReplyDeletethanks Ellen. a lifetime of practice.
DeleteMy 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.
that holiday in Cozumel would be perfect. but then any day in Cozumel would be perfect.
DeleteThere is no gift better than someone's art!
ReplyDeleteI suppose there are limits to that. my family got a lot of beginner stuff when we were learning to cast glass and living hand to mouth!
DeleteCodex: 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.
my granddaughter gave me a tin of 24 colors of the Bruynzeel. I had never heard of them but yeah, they're good. I like them.
DeleteAnother well done Christmas. Keeping your brother in touch with the family makes me smile. I like the bee.
ReplyDeleteI thought the bee came out exceptionally well. I surprise myself sometimes.
Deleteright? if people would act every day with the generosity of spirit that holiday is supposed to represent, the world would be a much better place.
ReplyDeleteYour bee drawing is amazing! What a great gift! I know what you mean about Christmas being a "dead" day. Even when we were in Whitstable we didn't try doing much on that day, because pretty much everything was closed. It gave us permission to just hang out.
ReplyDeleteI admire your talent in the pencil drawing of the bee, a great gift for your brother.
ReplyDeletethanks. I thought it would be harder so I was very pleased with how it came out.
DeleteI think what you can do with colored pencils is nothing short of miraculous! Gee. The fuzziness in the little body! And it's the talent you have, not the pencils. I am glad YOU were pleased. Hard taskmaster that you are. Agree re Christmas. Seemed completely irrational to me to celebrate anything, given the state of our species now. Colored lights and gifts don't go with all the bloodshed and the perilous future we are facing............
ReplyDelete