Good to be back in Chimachoy after a break of a week due to bad weather
and a sick doggie at home. I don’t think there’s anything more fun in this
world than painting a huge outdoor wall! It’s not always easy and definitely
tiresome, especially when you’re constantly surrounded by kids with there
endless questions.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Painting…”
(…)
“What are you painting?”
“What does it look like I’m painting?”
“A bird…”
“Indeed…. So why are you asking?”
“…”
After the third day of painting I decided to a apply new set of rules:
You can ask me anything, but I’ll only answer GOOD, intelligent questions…
It worked, in a way. The next set of questions was:
“Are you Catholic or Evangelical?”
“How many kids do you have?”
“What is your husband doing?”
Right. How do I explain that I practice yoga and meditation instead of
attending church; I live all by myself and have no kids BY CHOICE; but have
instead two dogs and two cats I happen to spend more on than on myself???
But as long as the kids don’t touch the mural (“Look! The paint is still
wet!!!”- before wiping their stained finger off on the wall…) I bear with them
because after all, they’re cute as hell.
Less intrusive than the kids are the adults who stand behind me watching
me work and have conversations about me as if I can’t hear them. Usually about who I’m painting, often about the fact that
I’m a very good painter (thanks!) and sometimes a more in-depth conversation
about the techniques I use and why. For the second time these days I heard the
director of the elementary school explain someone that the panel that depicts a
woman in the mist is pained in a technique that’s called claroscuro. No, it’s not, quite the opposite, as my adult students
should know by now, but who cares.
Anyway, it was fun again, besides a rain shower here and there and today
the constant threat of rumbling skies,
but luckily no rain. I got quite a lot done, the kids were a great help and
more than half is done now. Yeahaaaah!!!!
As the project is running a little longer than planned, more trips to
Chimachoy are needed, so more donations for transportation are very welcome.
For $40 you get a whole 10-hour day of painting…. (A bargain since the artist
humbly decided to do this job for free). Thank you dear friend Brenda Montoya
for your contribution!
