New Watercolor Painting: Gypsy Poppy

On Saturday, the mercury dropped. From zero degrees Celsius to -18 in a couple of hours. Snow and wind made it seem even colder, and when we woke up on Sunday, it was a mind-chilling -30C. We stayed home all day, and it stunk. I was itching to work on my Killer Poppy painting but felt like I should be making an effort to have a family day. Though I did end up getting to paint, and finishing my poppy painting, I ended the day feeling guilty about my preoccupation with my own interests and my failure to 'plug in' and enjoy a day at home with kids & husband.

This morning it was even colder out, -34C. It has never been that cold at our house in the 8 years we've lived here. We live on a hill and benefit by always being 5 to 10 degrees warmer than in town (and in summer, a little cooler). Wade decided to take advantage of accrued vacation pay and stay home (he's also recovering from a cold), and so I got the opportunity for a do-over. I did some preschool with the girls, read to them from their Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature, and visited a neighbour. I helped Wade cut some shelving for my studio-slash-everything-else room, and neither of us yelled at each other in the process! This afternoon I'll help Rory with a bead kit she got for her birthday, and we'll play a game - Candyland, or Yahtzee Junior. And I will enjoy this time right now, while the kids are napping, with a bit of blogging, a bit of painting, and a little Scrabulous.

Above you can see my finished poppy painting - it's a full sheet of Waterford paper, 22" x 30" and that is gold ink you see in the centre, and sprayed like pollen in tiny flecks across the page. The indigo lines I added at the end swirl around like free spirits, which has just given me an inspiration for a title: Gypsy Poppy. Aren't all poppies a little like gypsies?