Snow Day: Part Deux

If you will remember about a week ago Vancouver got a skiff of snow- a light dusting if you will- Friday however was the really big show- snow: part deux if you will! In fact it could have been a bonafide snow day in the eyes of many Vancouverites- it was just that much snow! By now it will most likely have melted and become a distant memory to many of us- but I thought I would share Miss Lo's and my magical snow adventure-AKA how it took us almost three hours to get to Granville Island!

  
        We had a bit of last minute Christmas shopping to do and so we set out for Granville Island early on Friday morning- we walked over to the closets bus stop to wait for the direct bus to the island- we waited and Miss Lo frolicked in the snow- we waited and our mitts became sodden- we waited and our toes grew numb- the bus never came. Not to bore you with all the details but we ended up walking from the closest sky train station to our destination. Once again with much thanks to serendipity what was just a run of the mill day became magical.

       One of the things I love most about Vancouver is that as soon as the snow starts falling folks disappear- aside from a few intrepid souls Miss Lo and I had the streets to ourselves- down through the slopes of Fairview we wandered down to the sea wall. making snow balls and playing along the way- enjoying how the snow becomes the universal equalizer- making all spaces clean and white. Aside from the occasional whir of stuck tires and the shrieks of school children on recess the air was quiet with the falling snow.

       We made finally made it to Granville Island- had our hot chocolate- bought our books and caught a bus home. By the time you read this the snow will be melted and life in this coastal city will be back to normal- but for one day we had this winter magic- a gift- perhaps just what we needed!
       

All You Need Is Love...

   In the immortal words of the Beatles

Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love
There's nothing you can do that can't be done
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy
There's nothing you can make that can't made
No one you can save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time- it's easy

All you need is love....

    These very words were what inspired our project today- for a very special couple getting married this coming weekend. The Boy and Miss Lo are the ring bearer and flower girl for their older cousin Kayla's wedding and so we all agreed that a special handmade wedding gift was called for. And really we are so full of love for the bride we were inspired to spread that love around!

     I started this project by taping off the word Love in painters tape onto an old painting of my own- I thought that since I have never really been happy with this painting in it's current state it would not hurt to re-purpose it for this project. The pre- existing texture would make this painting all the more interesting after the big reveal. For those interested I cut off the excess tape around the O with an Exacto knife just to make things a bit cleaner. The kids then went to town painting all over everything.

Miss Lo's preferred tool was an old tooth brush which allowed for interesting texture making

we painted the entire surface- right over the taped out words

with my help the tape was lifted off while the paint was still wet

    We think the end result is awesome and really sums up our sentiments towards Kayla and Waylon- we wish them all the love in the world- because All you need is love, love,love is all you need...

ps- a few details- we used Amsterdam Standard Series acrylic paints which give a vibrant colour to the final painting- these are real acrylic paints and while they are non toxic they are designed for use by people who don't put things in their mouths. I will still finish the painting off with a few layers of my favourite painting medium- Windsor and Newton Pouring Medium- to create a smooth surface. The painting surface used is a wood cradle panel which is similar to a canvas but is wooden and therefor a much less flexible surface which is important when working in thick layers.

If anyone is confused the lines revealed behind the taped letters is part of my old painting which was graphite pencil and thick layers of Golden Molding Paste. I think they add a layer of interest to the painting which might otherwise be a bit flat. If you have any specific questions regarding this project please feel free to ask in the comments section!