Two Loves

Judging from the title, I'm sure you're all thinking I'll be writing about the two loves of my life. My Jacob, and my little Alexia. Well, they ARE the most important loves I have. But, I am going to write about two others.

Clouds. And Painting.

First things first. It's so funny to me when everyone around me is SO ANXIOUS for the rain to stop, and wanting the sun to come out, and the skies to clear up. To me, a beautiful day is one with clouds all over the sky. I look up at a plain blue sky and think BOR-ING!!! And frankly, the sun drains me sometimes. It's an energy zapper. But clouds have the opposite effect. They totally rejuvinate me. I could lay and stare at a sky full of clouds for HOURS. And I'm not talking about when the sky is overcast with just a big blanket of one big cloud. That's cool and all (pun intended), but not my type of clouds. My favorite is when the sky is teeming with clouds - all different shades of blues, grays, yellows, purples, whatever. And all different kinds of clouds - stratus, cirrus, cumulus, and any combination of the three. Sometimes, we'll be driving somewhere, and it'll suddenly hit me that the sky is gorgeous.

If I'm driving when this happens, watch out...I may crash.

But, when I'm not driving, I probably make Jacob go crazy by whipping my head around in every direction and craning my neck to see every single cloud in the sky. A couple of years ago, I started enjoying traffic jams because it'd give me a chance to watch the sky for a long time while driving. Crazy, huh?

In the last week or two, I have been reading the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series, by Chris Heimerdinger. In one of his books, his main charactertalks about his obsession with clouds too. I love the way he describes them. "I'm entranced by clouds. I especially love to watch them after a storm, when the billowing mass begins to break up, coil in on itself, and release the spiked rays of the sun... Few things take my breath away more than clouds. Not a canyon or a mountain or even an ocean can fill human vision with such immensity and power...To me, nothing in nature is more majestic."

I completely agree. He described my feelings perfectly.

Now for my second love. Painting. I love to oil paint. Haven't done much, but I love it. Growing up, I always wanted to be Bob Ross. It's still my dream to be able to paint. I'd love to be outside and just see something that inspired me, and then be able to paint it! Someday, when we have unlimited money, maybe I can pursue it. It's just such an expensive hobby to have.

But, I watch Bob Ross every Sunday afternoon, and I'm keeping all of the episodes on DVD's so I can refer back to them, and learn how to paint things. Bob Ross is so funny. He's such a happy-go-lucky guy. Every tree has to have a friend. There are no mistakes, just "happy accidents." Make it your world, and all that. (All you Bob Ross watchers know exactly what I'm talking about). But, besides his fun attitude, I'd say Bob's trademark is his love affair with big trees and mountains. He's a nature painter. (He's said himself how he can't paint people at all...)

Another painter I LOVE is Thomas Kinkade. I could spend several hours in the Thomas Kinkade store in the University Mall, just looking at every detail on his paintings. They're amazing. Anyone familiar with his work knows that he is the "painter of light." Most people know him that way.

So...merging the two:

Someday I'll have time and money to take classes and practice painting. And someday I'm gonna be FAMOUS...(I know, dream on, right?) I could paint beautiful scenery, and copy some of the things I've learned from Bob Ross. I could learn to paint portraits, jor become the next Liz Lemon Swindle. But it wouldn't be me. I've gotta paint something I'm passionate about. So, I'm going to be the SKY PAINTER. That'll be my very own trademark. I'm gonna paint rain. Sunshine rays through the clouds. Lightening storms. Billowing clouds that cover the entire sky. Rainbows. Breathtaking sunsets. And everything else you see in the sky. Mostly clouds, though.

Now I just have to learn HOW!