I tackled my first round of painting today. What a relief to get that first pass (except for the flower pattern on the hat) accomplished. Now, time to refine, refine, refine! Painting always makes me miss having a real studio space. It is so hard to get lots of paint mixed up with (1) carpet, (2) limited space, and (3) those stupid jars (Never again! I don't know why that seemed like a good idea. Tubes from here on out!). It makes me cringe how thin this first layer is. 

Also sprawled across my floor is the beginning of a sketch based on this photo. A few weeks back at the library's used book sale I came across bound collections of LIFE magazine. I got really excited flipping through the pages - there were so many intriguing images and headlines. There was a whole table full of them up for grabs. I got my hands on a few months from both 1959 and 1960 - right around the time my parents were born. I wanted to feel some sort of personal connection to the time period. I am looking forward to finishing my commission in order to find out what these might inspire...