Whimsy Revealed

It is done.  Just joining us and have no idea what weird thing this is?  Read here for the history of the wall.

The boys helped me finish up!  They loved it!  Evy, amongst several other things, painted in a strawberry.

Whimsy in that Forgotten Place

It is time to finish up the mural.  One more evening and I'll be done.

Here is where I am at. 

Whimsy ~ Phase 3

I have to remind myself to do the detailed work first or the part I've been avoiding first when I paint.  I just don't have the stamina to paint for hours and hours anymore.  (Granted, the last time I used to have time to paint for hours and hours was, uh, 18 years ago.)

I carved out one hour today to get a move on the mural.

I've started phase 3 which will include 4 shades of my monochromatic color choice and one shade of the accent color.  I'm now ready for Evy to paint.

Here was the easiest part of today:

Here was the hardest part (no, you can't tell why):



And, this is how it is looking:

And, this is what is behind me:



Whimsy on My Mind

Here is a look at part of the latest effort.  I'm about a third done with the mural.  Tomorrow, Evy adds his part.  He is chomping at the bit to get to it!

(Evy is climbing the tree.)

Whimsy Wall: Panic Is Setting In

Unless you are Erik and reading this at an exotic location.  At which point the title would be,"Whimsy Wall is Going AWESOMELY!"

Yeah, I've got the vision in my mind and decently on paper.  It is just *so* big on that wall.  I've got to tweak (read: repaint) some things (uh, or paint over it all).

At the same time, I am enjoying myself.  I spent some precious naptime working on it today and the time flew by . . . I was amazed at how quickly I lost myself even with the coughing and hacking and nose wiping.  I wasn't very fast but it was good to just be mentally focused on something else.

No, I'm not even 1/2 way done, maybe 1/4 way done.  Can't tell if that is good or bad.  This thing could go either way.  I'm eager to get to the part where Evy is helping.

And, why whimsy?  'Cause I am a better mom with more of it in my life.

Whimsy Through Others . . . Needed Today

"Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties."  Erich Fromm

"Those who shun the whimsy of things will experience rigor mortis before death."  Tom Robbins

If you were to do a word tally of what has come out of my mouth today, the most common words with those most frequently said first:

Merritt

*gentle*

you're hungry?  again?

go play

what happened?

give that back

leave him alone

please, stop

no . . .

I think I need a moment.

A good dose of whimsy is needed ASAP!

I need one of these, always have.

Whimsy whistling is what I think  . . . .

Chills and Thrills

We've been having a great time!  We keep busy, but it wasn't insane last week, which was awesome.

Erik's work has reached a huge completion point, which always means more work to get it implemented, but he has been working for almost two years on this initiative and we are excited for him and this run-on sentence. 

Most of our talk this week was around mattresses, cause we are buying a couple.

Sheila is well.  She went to the doctor today and came home overwhelmed, but no new news.  She is just as neurotic and genius as ever.  He-he!  (pays to be the one to write this)  She had a great time at her ward's Super Saturday learning from some cooks in the ward.  No limit to good ideas out there! 

Evy is 4 going on 16.  We've got a behavior chart going and that is working well.  We are in awe at how busy and smart he is. 

Merritt evades all measures taken to keep his clothes on, except duct tape.  That has proven to work well.  Whenever we are sitting on the couch, he loves to run over and sit in our laps, even if just for a few seconds.  Quite a cuddler!

Both boys spent some time with their baby cousin this past week and were so gentle and nice to her.  I was proud of them!

Evy's recent self-portrait:

A element that I just finished on the mural:

Whimsy Wall: First Strokes

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

The guy at Home Depot ended up having to match the color paint by eye and it was amazing! 

I began the journey, clad in my navy cotton painting pants and my t-shirt that says (get ready to groan) "Baroque (adj):  When you are out of Monet."  Sadly, I giggle at it, still.

I have a deeper respect for those that paint murals, especially those that paint on brick.  Holy Crayola did I struggle with the orange peel texture! 

I am painting this is in Four Phases.  Looks like I've got Phase One started.  The lighting was too dark because it is raining today; so, I'll have to eyeball it when there is sun streaming through the skylight above it.

I took the picture while the paint was still wet so you get some sense.  The color will darken as it dries (don't have a heart attack yet, Erik, I love you!).

Though I have a marginal talent for it, I love to paint. My nana is an artist and an art teacher, and her home always smelled of crayons and clay.  My mom is a pretty good artist herself.  Now, we'll see if my raw, untrained talent can actually bring fruition to the plans ahead. 

I had an EXCELLENT time doing this.  Experimenting with different brushes and different strokes trying to get the paint on the awkward texture just right.  Remembering how my physics teacher could draw a perfect circle in two seconds.

And, I figured out what part Everett should paint . . . cause who can *watch* someone paint, we all should get right in there, too.

Whimsy Wall: The Beginning

I've begun.  You can't see the sketch of the background images 'cause it is in pencil.

The colors in competition.  It will mostly be monochromatic. 

Can't you see it now?

Whimsy On the Wall

I am still sketching out and pushing ideas around for my wall mural on whimsy . . . the house rule is that the sketch and the color scheme have to be approved by the people in the house, mainly Erik.

I find myself, though, selfcensuring ideas because I think to the point of what will I do with it when I sell the house.

Really?  Who cares?  I'll paint over it.

This particular project has been more challenging than it should have been . . . I find that I have to really work and focus more now on creative projects than I ever used to have to in the past. I think it is partly all that we balance right now and also because my last job didn't really utilize or applaud the use of creativity in the usual sense.  I'll get there.

I have three basic sketches. 

One has the whimsical wisps on a tree that "turn" into things like elephants . . . trying to push the marriage of whimsy and imagination.

One tries to capture a physical essence of whimsy, visually . . . which is turning out to be too similar to a very mainstream pedestrian image, as in pedestrian as an adjective--meaning dull, meaning it isn't unique.  (shuddering inside)
Does whimsy mean unique?   hhhmmm.

My favorite is probably the least likely to get approved . . . a chaotic, gentle visualization of whimsy (if you can bring peace to that contrast in your mind).

In the end, the actual image on the wall will have just been part of a process.  A process to work on balancing the chores of daily living with the necessary zest for life, allowance for the absurd to rule even for a little bit, and the safe harbor to allow the space for it to occur . . . the it of having whimsy, the it of being whimsical.  (Like today at the library would have been a good time to allow for whimsy.--public reminder for myself.)

In high school, one of the songs I performed was "Georgia On My Mind" . . . every time I work on this project, I sing "Whimsy On My Mind."  But, really, when I think about whimsical music, it isn't nursery rhymes that appeal to me.  Instead it is a kaleidoscope (oh, yeah, I used the word) of elements that include Flight of the Conchords  . . . and my all time favorite is "Sello Tape" . . . .

Whimsy On My Mind

I have several goals running right now.

One I've had since we moved in is to paint a mural of

whimsy

right on the large wall on the second story landing in our home

to do so, I need to study it, imagine it, taste it, smell it, and see it

What is whimsy?

Do you define it to experience it?

Do you experience it to define it?

also n., pl., -sies, also -seys.
An odd or fanciful idea; a whim.
A quaint or fanciful quality: stories full of whimsy.
[Probably from whim-wham, fanciful object.] http://www.answers.com/topic/whimsy

Inflected Form(s): plural whimsies also whimseys
Etymology: irregular from whim-wham
Date: 1605
1 : whim, caprice2 : the quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful 3 : a fanciful or fantastic device, object, or creation especially in writing or art http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whimsy

noun, plural -sies.
1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression: a play with lots of whimsy.
2. an odd or fanciful notion.
3. anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy: a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.
Also, whimsey. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/whimsy

Why whimsy?

Because the past couple of years haven't been super whimsical.

For a mom of children ready to experience the world I need tons in my arsenal.

Why not whimsy?

What color should I start with?

maybe a metallic color?

and, yeah, until I get it sketched, the idea is freaking Erik out.

and, I see oodles of whimsy here and here (aptly named)