Oxen

 The Oxen 8x10 Oil Portrait Commission

I feel a real sense of accomplishment having finally completed a piece! Last weekends blizzard really helped as I was bound to the house with little to do other than homework and housework. Two very reprehensible activities to my line of thinking!

I have wanted to paint oxen for a while and was presented with a good photo to work from. A woman commissioned me to paint this for her boyfriend who owns them. These two have been on TV so technically I have just painted my first "Star"! LOL

They originally had harness/yoke on them and were working in the woods but as you can tell I was very inspired by the winter weather at the time and the effect worked out nicely.

Time to hit the books and dedicate some time to an art show I am organizing. This is  a first for our University next month and I am on a steep learning curve. I have a new found respect for people who volunteer their time to make events happen in Public forums. I have already had a few "interesting" things happen and the deadline is still a month away. So next time you partake in a show and event, offer constructive criticism because without the volunteers, nothing would happen.

The Blizzard

Well, we are into day two of our Blizzard. The wheelbarrow has now been buried since this photo was taken and Chloe refuses to leave her shed. Sheep are of a similar mindset. I can not say I blame them. I am hiding out in the studio working on a commission and avoiding my statistics homework.

Actually I am avoiding all things school related at the moment. A small gift to myself for remaining in school while my friends pay off their mortgages and go on luxury trips to locations that are deficient in snow. The evil green monster in me was wishing for a different life this week.

Sad thing is the economy is actually looking worse now than when I convinced myself to return to school several years ago. I have also been to several "Meet the Grads", Career Fairs and the Deans List Reception and hearing the "rah rah, it is a wonderful time to be a new grad". The experience has me wondering if I am looking at the same economy as the speakers. At least I have a few decades of previous work experience to call on to back up my resume but I wonder what will become of the young grads. Maybe things will look better by the time my kids graduate!

Hope springs eternal.