Tuesday, January 01, 2008

EDM 152 - Free choice


Like so many others, I chose to do some Christmas ornaments. I had wanted to draw these ever since I got them, so this was the perfect opportunity. Our city has an old-time park called Heritage Park that has many historical buildings that have been moved to the park and restored to their former glory. The park is closed during the winter except for a few weekends before Christmas, to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas. There is a traditional family brunch in the Wainwright Hotel, outdoor skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides with the wonderfully dignified heavy horses, gingerbread cookies in the bakery, and caroling in the little church. It's lots of fun, and they also sell a lot of hand-crafted gifts that are lovely for Christmas gifts. But when I saw these "Dickensian skaters", I was reminded about how much we love to skate outdoors in the winter, and I'm sure these are me and Shawn in a previous life. I also really liked the bright, rich colors. They were also perfect for this challenge and to wish you all a Happy New Year! But, alas, their lives are not without tragedy. My cat, known to all as "Holly the Crash" loves to "help" me when I paint or draw. She took a real shine to this gentleman and had to be shooed away from him several times. But she did manage to grab him as quick as she could and jump down from the table with him in her mouth. He was a bit big and unwieldy for her and she dropped him, snapping his arm clean off. I'm sure he can be fixed with a little glue and patience. But given Holly the Crash's history, this was the only Christmas related disaster that we had. The Chrismas tree is still standing, and no one got hurt so all is well.
I wish all of you all the best for the coming year. Thank you for visiting.

3 comments:

Laurel Neustadter said...

Very nice! Looking at your painting gave me a happy feeling. Those skaters look so care-free.

Unknown said...

This is a warm and happy painting, I really like it! Love all of your work

Alanna Beckwith said...

thanks for visiting my blog, I really appreciate your comments and your fun sketches! Keep up the fun work!