30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 25

​"Ernesto" - mixed media on repurposed wood, 22" x 6".  Ready to hang.  Available at Artfinder.

Westley: Give us the gate key.
Yellin: I have no gate key.
Inigo: Fezzik, tear his arms off.
Yellin: Oh, you mean this gate key.
               from The Princess Bride             

Funny how the threat of having your arms torn off helps your memory.  This little exchange cracks me up.  

We all have a gate key - the key that helps us exercise, eat right, sleep better, learn more, be kinder, balance our checkbooks, volunteer, clean the refrigerator and write thank-you notes.  That little key that we pretend not to have, until we are pretty uncomfortable.  Or threatened.  A good threat often helps us find the key.

For me, deadlines are a great key-finder.  They slink around in my brain, waking me at 3 am, reminding me of every little thing that needs to be done before...WHAT?  MONDAY?  Ack.  And then I find motivation and get off my caboose.

This week I am catching up on small pieces for upcoming festivals.  Ernesto has been on my mind for some time, a confident young man with a quirky smile and a big talent!  Unlike Katie (yesterday's piece), Ernesto is not inspired by a real boy, but by one of the many characters causing a ruckus in my mind as I decide what to paint each day.  He's quite happy to be out of my head and onto the wood, and the studio is a much lovelier place with a little music to drown out the bossy queens and menagerie of farm animals calling for attention.

Maybe I need a Fezzik for the studio to keep them all in line?