The Mad Hatter & the Door Mouse

I promised I would share my newest addition to my Alice in Wonderland themed paintings, and here it is...The Mad Hatter & the Door Mouse! We finally got to see the movie this past weekend, and it was very enjoyable. My husband fell asleep during the movie, but I loved it. I definitely recommend seeing it in 3D, if you aren't once of those people who gets a headache from it. I've finished up the series, so it is time to move onto different subjects. I will be listing the actual painting on Ebay later this week, but if you are interest in the print, it is available on Etsy. Hope everyone is plowing their way through Monday. I started out the day at 5:30 and I am losing momentum!

Such a pain in the neck....

I haven't been spending as much time on the computer this week, because it is quite literally giving me a pain in the neck...and shoulders...and back. I finally went to the doctor yesterday, as I have had shoulder/back pain for almost 2 weeks now. The day it started, I could barely move my neck. It turns out that (according to my doc) I have a Rhomboid muscle spasm and sprain. I've been trying to avoid things that make it worse, and sitting at the computer is one of those things. For now, I am on muscle relaxers for about 5 days. It is helping a bit, but I am only on day one. I was also given some exercises to do.
Our older car is out of commission, so I have been stuck at home. Since we had 6 inches of rain today, and I'm on meds that make me sleepy, I guess it's not a big deal. The last time we had 6 inches in one day, we had flash floods and I got stuck in one. I am perfectly happy to remain in my home....safe & dry.
I did finish my Mad Hatter painting and will probably be sharing it with you on Monday. Hope you all have a safe and fun weekend.

Monkey Jungle

This weekend, we headed to Miami. My husband really wanted to go to Monkey Jungle and we had a great time there. Basically, it is more like you are in a cage, and the monkeys have acres and acres to roam freely. You can feed them via little pails that they pull up with a chain through the fenced roof. They also had some members of the ape family, whom we found very amusing. The rest of our Miami trip consisted of driving around getting lost (our GPS kept giving us messed up directions and telling us to do U-turns), dealing with huge noisy crowds, honking drivers, and a pack of dudes on motorcycles going at least 150 mph on the interstate like a bunch of crazies. Um....just a little stressful. I'm sorry Miami, but I am just not a fan. There is also a big homeless problem there. A lot of the crime involving gangs and drugs is making its way up the coast to our town.
This week I am working on a painting of the Mad Hatter. I would love to finish him up over the next few days and get him listed on Ebay. We weren't able to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie yet, but hope to go this weekend. Have a great week!

My first portrait painting experience...

I just wasn't in the mood to paint today. I am trying to get myself motivated to start the last painting in my Alice in Wonderland series...The Mad Hatter. The problem? I haven't painted a man since 6th grade. It was my first ever "portrait" and is the reason why I was terrified to start painting actual faces again until last year. I was placed in a gifted and talented program in 6th grade, whisked away from school for a day, and instructed to paint Patrick Swayze in oils. What I walked away with was a "being" with Popeye arms, a mullet, and really long eyelashes. It looked like a She-Man. My mother kept it in a closet for years and every once in a while, we would pull it out and laugh hysterically. I am comfortable with painting female faces now, but I fear my Mad Hatter will end up looking like a transvestite!
So, instead of painting today, I finished one of my New Year's resolutions...to revamp my website again. I'd love it if you take a look! It looks so much happier! I expanded my gallery, changed the template, and I feel it is more in sync with the style of my work. You can visit my website here: http://www.artworkbylori.com