Written by This may quite possibly be one of my quickest little doodlewashes yet, clocking in at just under 15 minutes. I had very little time today to make this post and am sneaking it in between work and evening plans. But, as ever, I would be remiss to not show up to party, particularly when it comes complete with balloons! I loved birthday parties when I was a little kid. A day devoted to getting lots of little gifts for no reason at all, other than doing that growing up thing that all kids long to do. Now that I’ve sort of grown up, it does hold a bit less allure for me than back then. These days, I’m hoping the clock would just slow down already and I’m in no hurry at all to get older. But the clock keeps ticking forward no matter, and some days, it’s tough to even paint. I still insist on stealing a touch of time though, to make a little something each day. Even a few squiggles of paint is better than nothing at all. No matter how busy I am, I simply insist on getting that precious bit of time to sketch and paint each and every day. It’s what truly makes me the happiest.
Recently, I had some friends ask me to happy hour. That time after work when you have a drink and relax. I explain to them that it’s my painting time and offer up lunch instead. This is met with incredulous responses, but the reality is, it’s literally the only time I have to paint each day. There’s not a second chance. So, I changed my “happy hour” to my painting time, even if, like today, it manifests itself in only a quarter of an hour, it still manages to happen. One day, I long for a time when I’m retired and have a full day to plan out, leaving as much time as I need for painting. But today, I have to steal little moments. And it’s totally worth it. Some days, I make something that turns out amazing, and other days it’s just a little something. I cherish them all like a tiny trophy. It’s difficult in our busy lives to make time for the things that truly make us happy. But when we do, it’s what makes life so much more fulfilling.
I should also offer apologies if Doodlewash has been loading slowly for you at certain times each day. I’m still working with WordPress.com to riddle it all out and figure out what’s going on. There’s a ton of functionality that’s been added to the site and each little piece interacts with the others in mysterious ways. With so many moving parts, it’s often difficult to determine the culprit, so bear with me and the developers smarter than me as we figure it all out. I’m still that happy child at a birthday party and I’m confident everything will turn out perfectly! Life would be terribly boring if we didn’t push the limits and try for impossible things. Doing so, we can make amazing things happen! So, even on days when I have no time to paint, and type out a post as fast as humanly possible, it’s proof that, in the end, anything can happen if we commit to doing it. Push forward and demand your dreams! When you do, they’ll always manifest themselves in the end. Each step moves us to the next, even when that step is just some quick little balloons.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Da Vinci Yellow, Quinacridone Red, Benzimida Orange, Cobalt Turquoise and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
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Wonderful post and sketch! I inherited my older brother’s Radio Flyer. I would gather leaves, dirt, and stones, then pack them in empty glass jars. Sometimes add water to make mud. These were my provisions for my “covered wagon” journey across the continent (really around my large backyard). One of my favorite activities!
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 What a wonderful memory! I love that!
I remember my little red wagon too. My dad wasn’t too happy when my sister and I filled it with little baby carrots we pulled from his garden. You did a beautiful job of painting your special little red wagon.
Thanks, June! 😃💕 Yeah, that little red wagon holds so many wonderful memories, doesn’t it!?
Fir sure. ☺
Love the wagon and the story!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕
Yesterday you were talking about growing older and today you used the magic words of all of us who are getting older, “kids today.” Ha ha! Good thing you can paint so well–it’s keeping you young!
aww thanks, so much, Lisa! 😃💕 I think think painting has the power to keep us all young! hehe
I swear your paintings get better every day – they just blow me away! When I was younger I thought it would be marvelous to have more information on the past – to really have proof of what happened. Now I know that that it doesn’t matter, there is always more than one interpretation. It seems the more we know the less we understand. Your idea of just relying on imagination and memory is far better.
You’re so sweet! Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 And yeah, I love imagination more than documentary. hehe… it’s how we lived for the majority of our human existence. There’s just something amazing there!
I had one of those wagons too, Charlie! ❤️ Mine was blue. We had a red one too but my parents kept the blue one so I held onto it. Many special memories in my mind in this wagon. 😊 Riding in it as a child and then later it became a “covered wagon” – so glad we got to use our imaginations! Thanks Charlie for helping me to remember. ❤️😘xo
Thanks, Jill! 😃💕 hehe… a blue one??! Cool!! I’m so happy this brought back great memories as well. I loved that thing! And you, my friend, have definitely subscribed to using imagination! Love everything you make!!
Thanks so much Charlie! ❤️
very nice story, your wagon is still alive.
Thanks so much, Lieve! 😃💕
I love the imagery you create Charlie. I also recognise the fallibility of memory with the upside for the good bits. Opening my split cane fishing rod one Christmas for one ……
Aww thanks, Rod! 😃💕 Yeah, memory is a fallible thing, but imagination is always true to the heart.
The wagon and the story brought scenes from Calvin and Hobbes to mind! 😀🐯👦🏼
That’s such a lovely compliment! Thanks, Miste! 😃💕
Wonderful story, beautifully told. And illustrated!
Aww thanks so much, Nancy! 😃💕
soul touching
Thanks so much my friend! 😃💕
Fifteen minutes? I’d still be looking for paper in that amount of time. Fun little wagon you’ve painted today.
Since you’ve mentioned all the changes you’ve made to the site, and most are pretty wonderful, may I make a suggestion? (You’re welcome to remove this comment from your site, of course.) I really liked when the most recent Doodlewash entries were located at the side bar. I often blog binge as I’m doing this week, since my computer was dark for a week and I’m trying to catch up. Going through the archives takes a lot of time.)
Thanks, Sharon! 😃💕 Glad you liked this one! And sorry about that… I’ve been futzing with the sidebars in an effort to keep my site loading properly and those mysteriously disappeared. They’re back! Thanks for the heads up!
These are all so awesome! How did you get the red to be so vibrant? What colors did you mix?
Thanks so much, Taylor! 😃💕 For reds, I sometimes add a touch of yellow to warm them up and either layer them up, or when I’m out of time, just use it straight from the tube with very little water. So it’s a touch more like gouache. 😊