One of the projects I’ve been working on this year has been creating paintings from my cookie designs. I’m so new to painting and because I keep mucking things up, despite helpful and encouraging wisdom from artists like Rhonda and Lily, I don’t show my works here that often. I know one thing for certain: every time I paint, my respect for painters deepens.
Remember this fella? Captain Cat said when she first saw him that he resembled the previous U.S. President. We then had a good laugh over chomping his head off. (I later suggested that our current president take my Obama flag cookie and hand it out to Republicans whenever he hosts them at the White House and let them, literally, bite his head off).
In the painting, his face didn’t come out quite the way I had envisioned. Maybe I’ll attempt him again. I also wanted the fish in the background to be more vibrant. It turns out I was using a soft paint and no matter how many times I painted those fish, they just wouldn’t pop out the way I wanted. Oh well. Next time.
And here’s the (in)famous Jane Austen teapot cookie as a painting. The teapot cookie is in the banner. Ahem. I’ve often wondered why this cookie became so popular. Is it the way my husband photographed me holding it? Is it that so many people love Jane Austen? Is it because Ms. Austen’s silhouette is such a familiar image? In the end, it doesn’t matter. When I create something that people like, that makes me happy. And when people don’t like what I’ve made, that’s fine too. One friend told me she hated this painting. “Your work is so whimsical,” she explained. “This just feels, I don’t know, so serious.” Criticism can sting, but when the critic inserts a valid point, it stings less. Constructive criticism is always helpful, it makes me want to improve. And when it comes from a good friend, it’s a sign that the friendship rests on a solid, respectful foundation.
