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Six Days...
I love progress, the kind you can see.
Today I completed the four-panel desert scene, but had forgotten to bring the camera with me to church, so although they are finished and standing up at the front of our Sanctuary, I do not have pictures to show you. Tomorrow for sure.
As I was painting the cactus on the panels (each panel has its own cactus, and each one is a different size), I came to a place where I knew I needed to add something, like a detail or a texture.
I was imagining the saguaro cactus, the one in the American Southwest that stands tall and straight, with arm-like projections reaching up to the sky. I didn't know that the plant is about 75 years old when it starts growing its arms!
Since I have never seen a saguaro cactus in person, having never been to the southwestern deserts of this land, I had to rely on photos and movie images of this amazing and stately plant.
The saguaro doesn't have exterior spines, but interior ones which catch and hold water for the plant. Saguaro fact: it can hold nearly a ton of water in those spines.
The green paint was still wet on the cactus image, and I needed to indicate the grooves of the cactus somehow. Suddenly, it occurred to me put down the brush and use my finger... I dragged my index finger down the length of the cactus, and sure enough, the vertical groove I needed appeared, looking very groovy!
I continued finger painting the rest of the cactus, and in less than an hour I had all four panels completed. Tomorrow I will show you the pictures.
I also bought all the PVC parts I'll need to build a framework for our tunnel and cave system. Yeah, I know, cardboard boxes would have served here, but I'm looking at something bigger and sturdier, and something that can be taken apart and put back together again into some other arrangement next year. Besides, the person taking part in the story cannot crawl on his knees, so I had promised to build the tunnel so he'd only have to stoop over, so the tunnel is going to be about 4 1/2 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and maybe-possibly 12 feet long. Making it longer makes it more exciting for the kids having to walk through it in the dark.
You see why going to DisneyWorld a few weeks ago was good for me? It was like going on a weeklong Artist Date, like Julia Cameron writes about in her book The Artist's Way.
When I see PVC pipe and joiners and elbows, I see giant tinker toys! Think of all the things you can build with them... yes, it's fun playing this way.
VBS has never been so exciting!
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Hi Bea - sorry I'm so behind. Stopping in to say hello, trying to catch up! What else is new right? I love this book! I'd have to say it's one of my favs. I carry it around the house with me all the time. Really need to get working on my morning pages though! ~ lori
7/19/06 1:31 AM
love,nat