Straight-Edge Razor

I've been up since 3:45 a.m.  Frustrated with a couple of situations at work, frustrated with other things.  I started this painting last night, in a sort of daze.  Smearing different colors on the canvas, not sure where I was going.  I saw a couple of different faces in the paint, but just kept drawing the brush over and through them.  Finally I thought with the green color, I would make some sort of frog man.

While I laid in bed awake, awake, awake, I finally thought, fuck it, and got up and painted for several hours.

I had been eating Wonderful Salt & Pepper Pistachios the night before and my shells were still on my desk.  Yes, that's right.  And I picked up a half shell and used it as a sort of paintbrush with yellow oil paint to put on some bumps and ridges to this fellow.  I saw his arms, the black on the chin and extending into the purple looked like whiskers/flying whiskers so that's where the straight-edge razor came it.

Mostly I was once again trying to loosen the grip in my chest and stomach of these aggravations so I was letting my hand just move, applying color randomly.  Sometimes I think the best things I make are out of trying to alleviate darker frustrations and feelings.

I'm happy with the painting.  I'm very tired, too.

9" x 12" Acrylic, Oil, India Ink

Day 236. Marabou Black Saltlakrits

My Spanish student, Morgan, went to Norway and Sweden this summer, and she thoughtfully brought we back this candy bar.

I quote from the Marabou website:  "In 2013, Nordic markets will benefit from a highly-differentiated new tablet offer from popular brand Marabou: Marabou Black Saltlakrits. A delicious blend of Marabou milk chocolate and salt liquorice pieces, this latest addition to the Marabou tablet portfolio delivers an exciting flavor combination that fits perfectly with the taste buds of the Nordic region. As a result, Marabou Black is certain to attract existing brand lovers and newcomers alike."

Here's my watercolor version with just a few slight color liberties:

Here's a close-up of the chocolate bar.  You can see all the pieces of licorice.  Please excuse the chipped nail polish.  Painting is tough on a manicure. (-;  The original wrapper is in the background.

Now normally, I'm not a black licorice gal, but this is really, really good.  It's such a subtle flavor, and the generous crunch of the sea salt against the licorice and milk chocolate hits it just right.  It actually is quite addictive!  Morgan tells me there's black licorice flavor everywhere--black licorice fudge, black licorice ice cream, etc.  It's so fun learning about different cultures.  I'm feeling a little Nordic with this generous gift. (-: