LolaJovan.com
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 26

2/26/2018

4 Comments

 
"The Birthday Girl" - mixed media on repurposed wood, 22" x 5.5".  Ready to hang.  Available at Artfinder.

Inigo: Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
                  
from The Princess Bride

How long Inigo waited to say these words to the six-fingered man!  Finally, FINALLY the time has come to say the thing he has practiced over and over again.  I wonder...was the actual event as satisfying as he had built it up to be in his head all those years?  I think, sometimes, that waiting for the thing is more fun, in the end, than the actual thing itself.

Let's take birthdays, for example.  Now I don't know about you, but no matter how old I am, there is a little girl inside of me who gets very excited every time my birthday rolls around (never fear, dear reader, it is not my birthday!  Not even close!) and wishes, just a bit, for some lovely surprise or another.  And presents...how exciting it is to hold that gift in your hand, to admire the wrapping, ribbon and card.  But what's inside the box - I'll wager is generally quite lovely but not what it was hyped up to be by the extraordinary outside.

So I had to challenge myself to try to think of something...just one thing, that was as good as or better than I had built it up in my mind to be for some period of time prior to it.  And immediately there was one.  Entering Harry Potter World at Universal Studios...slipping in between unmarked building that opened into a magical world (complete with theme music and a fire breathing dragon) - I actually caught my breath.

​But is that what I build up in my mind about future events?  Theme music and dragon-sized surroundings?  Maybe so.  After all, we live in a world of super-sized entertainment and lavish events.
Picture
So I spent a little more time contemplating.  A  flood of other memories poured in...standing at the foot of Multnomah Falls , the night market in Bangkok,  an evening on the beach at Xpu Ha Palace, my sister's incredible outdoor wedding under the tall trees of Oregon, and Ireland of course...ok, these were all things I looked forward to which really blew me away once the day arrived.

This little piece of art is a reminder to allow for the possibility that the things we look forward to might just be even better than expected.  Like my next birthday.  Not a milestone, but maybe magical anyway. I wonder if Inigo Montoya will be there?
4 Comments
Dotty Seiter link
2/26/2018 07:49:23 am

Really fun dimensions here: 22x5.5"!

My eye is pulled in by the more-than-expected top-of-hat, the teeny little fingers holding that package with solemnity and expectation, the black hair off to each side : )

Every day is a birthday! And a happy one to you today!

Reply
jen
2/26/2018 07:57:38 am

Thanks, Dotty!!! This was a really joyful piece to create. I love her super seriousness amidst the party atmosphere. And Happy Everyday is a Birthday to YOU!

Reply
Carol Edan link
2/27/2018 11:54:31 pm

So much to think and contemplate over. Birthday's, well, maybe numbers don't count but sometimes you can't fool the years! Not complaining just stating fact. Yes everyday will now be my birthday, unfolding its own precious gifts. She seems to be offering her gift to anyone who wants it. Reminding us that wonderful things come in small doses!

Reply
jen
2/28/2018 08:09:28 am

Can't fool the years....true, true. But worth celebrating anyway! We are just getting better and better, right? And yes, this sweetling is offering her gift to whoever needs one. A little dose of sunshine...

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Lola Jovan

    Picture

    Get Mail!

    * indicates required
    /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

    Intuit Mailchimp

    Categories

    All
    An Unexpected Life
    Bones
    Bossy Pants
    Mischief And Malarkey
    Rewilding
    The Art Of Seeing
    The Inner Landscape
    The Weight Of Words

contact lola
Picture
Here's the blue wild, where
tiny dreamers ride beasts, speak
​ birdsong, hold the moon.

(by poet Mary W. Cox)
​


​Art prints available on request
  • Home
  • ART
  • BLOG
  • Exhibits
    • The Downside of Lycanthropy
    • A Song for the Hunted
    • The Wild God
    • NUDGE - SHOVE
  • BOOKS