Portrait of an imaginary friend

Autumn's friend Cera is five years old and she lives in our pantry. She has pink hair (wonder where she got that from) and a blue mustache, and she loves to surf. Cera is invisible (or, to be politically correct, visibility impaired) and can only be seen if you become invisible yourself. Since most people don't know how to become invisible, Cera asked me to paint her portrait so everyone can see what she looks like.


Who knew a girl with a mustache could look so cute?

Painting has become my newest accidental hobby. I bought a few 11"x 14" canvas panels on a shopping trip with Faye, thinking I might try out a variation of a cute craft project I saw on Martha's show. Instead, one of the panels turned into a painting for a swap I'm working on (more on that later), and it ended up being a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I had always wanted to experiment with painting, but thought to myself, I'm not an artist. I'm not talented in that way. As it turns out, I'm not too shabby. Cera's painting isn't quite finished yet. That top left bit of empty sky is begging for something pretty. I'm just not sure what it is.

What I love most about painting is the evolution that takes place, from the first sketch to the final product. You start with a basic idea (or in this case, Autumn provides one), a simple line drawing, and the artwork tells you where it wants to go from there. It may start out one way and go in a completely different direction by the time you're halfway through. It may change and evolve over hours or days. You add a new color here, some shading there, walk away for a little while, and when you come back you add more until it's absolutely finished.

At least, that's how it works for me. I'm no professional. My art will never be hung in galleries or museums. My art is just simple and whimsical and silly, and it makes for a unique addition to our home decor. But it's satisfying in a way that's different from sewing or any of the crafty things I do, really. It's more personal.

So to those of you who have always thought you have no artistic ability, to those who gave up on creating art or never even tried because you don't feel like you're good enough, shut up and paint! Whether you make stick figures or an award winning masterpiece, it's art because it's you, and you are amazing. As Suzi Blu says, you are an artist. You are. You just have to recognize it.