Getting Long In The Tooth
A story about a painting or the reality of trying to age gracefully….
The long and short of it is my house is 70 years old, and my master bathroom needs a glow-up. I’m having a monumental birthday later this week and I am also in need of a glow-up! Every time I tackle a DIY project; I find myself thinking about Rita Marie.
What does this have to do with aging and painting? Stay with me here.
This is “Rita Marie”…she evolved from an ink blot. It’s form of painting known as Abstract Realism.
The idea behind Abstract Realism is that you throw down an abstract background and then you pull an image from the background and try to create a seamless effect.
I started with a layer of transparent acrylic and tossed on some alcohol inks which created an explosive ink blot.
In the ink blot, I could see the image of a clown and I thought, “Oh hell no. I’m not painting a clown. They’re creepy.”
I kept looking at the image and one day I saw it from another angle, and I saw the profile of a woman and as I painted it, it started to look like my neighbor lady Rita Marie Schmitt from my hometown of Gordon, NE.
Rita Marie was a pistol. Some locals would probably classify her as the town gossip, but she was more of a Barbara Walters type. You could say she missed calling her as an ABC news correspondent. Lol. She had a raspy, matter-of-fact voice and could fire off questions darn near as fast as an AK-47 fires ammo.
So, here’s the thing with Rita Marie…her entire adult life she told people she was 29 years old. And when I was a kid I remember the locals chuckling about ole Rita Marie, but now that I’m getting older, I understand why she was forever 29.
You always think of yourself as 29…when you plan to do something in your mind, you’re 29 years old and you can do anything!
You can drive to California in less than 24 hours. Your bladder’s good, your eye sight’s good. You can pull an all-nighter. And you can remodel your bathroom in a single weekend!
As you age and you add twenty to thirty years to the equation you start wondering, “Can I DIY my bathroom in a weekend?” This is where the realism sets in and you wonder, “How long is it really going to take me to grind this project out?”
Am I right?
As I use my cowgirl logic, I’m thinking it’s one long weekend to remove the vanity, remove the old towel rods, patch the holes, sand, and paint, another weekend to sandblast and paint the tub, (yes it’s a thing.) and a third weekend to install a new light, medicine cabinet, and vanity. Which means the bathroom will be torn up for a month…and what will the dogs think of all this commotion? The silver-lining is, the toilet is new. 😊
So here I am again…I’m on the fence about it. Dr. John Delony says, “Solve for peace.”
Solving for peace would be hiring someone else to do it for me, but in my mind, I am forever 29…just like Rita Marie.
Until you hear from me again, I am living life with the top down like I'm 29. Have a great week.
Much Love,
Tamara
In Loving Memory of Rita Marie Schmitt 1928-2004.
Oh and Pssssst! Rumor has it that a small herd of Bougie Bovines are on the drying rack. AND they are being critiqued by famous comedians and personalities…Stand by for news!
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