Close up flower

It's super tricky painting these close up flowers.  This week has been crazy and not crazy.  I've had sick kids all week (yes, the flue is visiting us YET again)  (Oh, joy) and in between making tea, taking temps, making soup, feeling brows, giving vitamins, bringing juice, cutting up oranges, covering up, uncovering, rubbing backs, coloring with, fetching things, washing, cooking, making toast....I've been painting!  Ha!  I don't have to be at ballet or piano or Taekwondo or play dates or church or anything.  Double Ha!

....the beautiful silver lining to the dark cloud that is influenza!  My kids have watched WAAAAY too much TV this week, but it's the only way to keep them down and resting, so I've assuaged my guilty conscience with the thought that I never  let them watch much and it won't kill them for 4 days out of their life.  Weaning them off of it will be tough, but leeeet's not worry about that now. 

I'm painting in my art studio, listening to my kids watch episodes of the BBC's Robin Hood and Extreme Couponing.   That is  not one show, it is two, mind you.   I have NO earthly idea why my offspring like to watch Extreme Couponing b/c I don't personally clip coupons, but for some reason they find this show fascinating...... that you can get $1,459.97 worth of junk food for $.37 if you just clip enough coupons...but I digress here!  

You are obviously visiting this blog b/c you are interested in art, not my children's quirky TV habits.

So, this flower has taken me THREE WEEKS to paint.  My paintings are taking longer and LONGER to finish....I'm not sure if this is progress or not.  

It's  hugely detailed and just explaining all the steps right now feels like work, so I will let my pics do the talking for me and if you have any specific questions, you can email me or call or use whatever communication you have....I'm sure I'll be found if you're looking b/c I can't seem to get away from anyone these days (not that I'm actively trying).....I remember the days when I went out to the store and I couldn't be reached for HOURS on end b/c I didn't have a cell phone or texting or ichat or skyping or anything that made me reachable in any way, shape or form.

Now, I find myself pushing a shopping cart with my hip bone, loading groceries with one hand, texting with the other while making violent shushing noises to my restless children.  While I'm texting, I could get an emergency phone call from my husband who can't decide between the 300 lb. roll of aluminum foil or the 2500 square foot roll of cellophane, and could I please tell him which I need?  (the question to ask is, do I really NEED a 300 lb. roll of aluminum?  That's a lot of baked potatoes...)  

This is all happening while I'm trying to communicate to the deli lady that I really need one pound of THINLY slliced meat not two pieces that each weigh 1/2 a pound. (which is what they'll do if you don't watch them like a hawk b/c they don't like slicing with that slicey thing that they slice with)  I know this from experience!  NOTHING is worse than bringing home one whole pound of meat and using it up on one very thick sandwich b/c it's sliced too thickly!  It's perfectly dreadful, b/c it means that I have to make ANOTHER trip to the grocery store to get more meat to last the week.  The HORROR!

Wait, where was I? Ah, yes....painting a pink flower *cue soft classical music*.

I think I've been in the house too long.