What's up?

 Jesca (Work in progress)

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012 

Wednesday is another long day for me.  On my break
I went to a nearby mall and walked for an hour. Then
I downed a Starbucks coffee, wondering why it tastes
so good when a barista makes it, and not quite as punchy
when I make it at home.  But I was revved enough, that I
taught my class, drove home and worked on this
portrait of a little girl named Jesca.  She's an African girl
and an orphan who needs help to be able
to go to high school.  The orphanage where she now
lives is a school that can only help the children
until they reach high school age.  So for high school Jesca
needs sponsors to raise the $8,000 her high school
education will cost.

I'd meant to finish this painting for the show I had
in the fall with Gill Cameron, who is trying to raise
funds for Jesca, and another little girl, Mary,
but it was an insanely busy fall and I didn't have
time.  So now I'm going to get it done.

I wanted to wait until it was getting there before
I showed it to you.  For me a portrait is starting
to come together when I start to talk to the
person in the painting.  That may sound crazy,
but I'm willing to bet that other portrait painters
say the same thing.  Unless she feels present, she
has no chance of being lively.  So she's beginning
to feel present to me.  There are many things I'm
working on in the portrait, and I'll let you see my
changes as I go along. At this point I'm painting the
painting for me, so I have no idea whether it will
help contribute to the charity or not.

Meanwhile thank you to everyone who made this
day a great one.

Have a-getting-along-and-enjoying-your-life day.