Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Growing Picture Gallery

Still working on this little faerie person. Eventually I'll paint in a background and add color to her hair. I have to leave her unfinished for now because I'm taking another on-line class from Suzi Blu....part 2 of the Goddess and Poet class. This one is called Piety and Passion...all about the Tudor Dynasty. Royalty, intrigue, love, hate, passion, murder....lots of material here. Our first work will be a 3/4 face portrait of Elizabeth Tudor...before she became Queen after the death of her father, Henry VIII (who excecuted her mother, Anne Bolyn, because she couldn't produce a male heir).
So here's one of the pencil drawings that I did for the Princess-who-became-Queen....now that's a story in itself. First, she was female....and second, she didn't have the right place in line to succeed Henry to the throne....it was just fate with an assist from couple or three deaths that put her there. Interesting....the whole Tudor Dynasty thing is interesting.
This is another of my pencil drawings that might wind up being my Elizabeth....I kind of favor the other because there is softness and youth (almost innocence) there....but I like the strength in this face. This is someone who, from very early childhood, learned to survive...she was in effect an exile and at one time was even imprisoned in that same Tower from which her mother was taken to be executed. This Elizabeth would have had courage. She was a great Queen...smart, wise, cunning......all that stuff. So I'm still thinking this all through. I've done a couple of other drawings that are not worth spending more time on. I won't throw them out because I learn something from every piece that I do.....but I won't show them either.
So there is the story of my last few days. Drawing, painting and long, painful sessions in the dentist's chair is how it's been for me. Oh...Dr. Ismail loved his Tooth Fairy painting. More about dental problems later....maybe. I know that I'll wind up with a beautiful smile and perfect teeth. It's only a matter of time....and some more construction work in my mouth. So far my teeth have been drilled, hammered, sawed and glued. I can only eat very, very soft foods right now because my mouth is filled with temporary teeth that look OK (except last week, when I looked like the white rabbit) but don't chew well at all. But I know....that soon....my smile will be gorgeous...and I'll be able to eat real meat with my great, new porcelain teeth. Soon. Soon. Yup....soon.