The Evolution of a Painting

Back in the middle of August a friend from my hometown asked me to paint her family’s store. She sent me the first photo below to paint from. I shared this story in my post Painting Memories (Sept.10th).  I did a 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas for her.

Since then, her cousin asked me to paint the broader view of the store shown in the second photo photo below. I did hers in watercolor on 8 1/2 x 11 watercolor paper. Well, the first friend wanted one like that as well, so I did a second one, shown in the set at the bottom. This was in the middle of September.

Not long after that, another cousin wanted a painting as well. So, I did one for her. A week or two ago, another cousin wanted one as well. I don’t know where this will end!

I found it very interesting to look at the paintings I did. Each one was done on their own using the original photo. They turned out similar, but different from each other.  They were very pleased with the paintings, so for me that is all that matters. In the process of painting them I found I liked having the pen and ink more defined. I think I will continue doing my watercolors this way.

Grasping at memories

Wanting things to stay the same

Reliving the past

Click on the pictures to enlarge…

Painting Memories

Best Lickin’ Ever

Licking the mixing bowl when my mom baked cakes was so much fun. The mixer was set up on the kitchen table. I pulled out a chair and climbed up on it, sitting on my knees, and watched the spinning bowl. The rich chocolate batter flowed smoothly through the beaters as the bowl rotated hypnotically round and round. She used a wooden handled rubber spatula to clean the crumbs of mix off the outer edges of the bowl.

When all was blended, she poured the mix into a 9 x 12 glass cake pan. Now it was my turn. She loosened the beaters and gave them to me one at a time to lick off. It was wonderful to run my tongue up and down each of the tine, getting chocolate from ear to ear.

Then it was time for the bowl. She left little streaks of chocolate decorating the inside of the bowl. I licked both sides of the spatula; then used it to scrape out every bit of chocolate batter that I could get. It was a wonderful time to bake with mom when I was six!

Waiting anxiously

Chocolate lava oozes through

Mixing bowl is mine

Photo: Family Album – the house where I was born

Today at d’Verse, Lillian asked us to take time to reflect and take note of memories from our childhood that are not from photos or family stories. We are to write a Haibun sharing what we conjured up from the depths!

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com then click Mr. Linkey and read more!

1000 Pieces

We have had this puzzle hanging on the wall in our house for the past thirty-seven years.

In 1981 my mother-in-law came from Alberta, Canada to spend Christmas with us in North Carolina. While she was with us, we put this 1000 piece puzzle of canal boats together. I decided to try to preserve it by mounting it on a piece of poster board and coating it with a couple coats of clear finish.

The summer before I had to cut down a black walnut tree that was growing against the back of my garage. I borrowed a truck and took the trunk to a local saw mill where it was cut into eight twelve inch boards.  I saved all the bark edge trimming boards as well and used it to make several items. The frame for this picture was made from that tree.

Christmas together

Carefully placing pieces

Each piece a mem’ry

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Lillian, at d’Verse, asked us to take a look around our house and see what is hanging on the walls. Then we were to choose something and write a poem about why it was significant. This puzzle has been through two moves and is still holding together and hanging on our wall after all these years!

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

 

 

Christmas 1963

Chocolate Drops and Hardtack
Growing up in a preacher’s family meant that I got in on all the background preparations that went on at Christmas. This was especially true when getting ready for our annual Christmas program.
We lived in a poor coal mining community of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Christmas program created a special time for everyone, especially the children. They knew that after the program ended everyone got a special treat to take home.
A week prior to the program my father shopped for all the goodies that went into, the Christmas boxes. He came home with a variety of candy, English walnuts, and Brazil nuts. We all participated in the job of sorting the candies and filling one hundred boxes.
The small cardboard boxes came flattened and needed to be pushed into a rectangular shape and closed on one end. The long narrow side had a string inserted so it could be carried like a miniature suitcase. On the outside were colorful pictures of Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus, the Shepherds, and the Wise Men. The boxes were about the size of an Animal Crackers box of the past.
On Saturday we all gathered around our big dining room table and began filling the boxes. Into each box we put a couple of chocolate drops, some colorful hardtack, English walnuts, Brazil nuts and Hershey Kisses. We folded and locked the flaps together and carefully packed them into several large cardboard boxes.
As the program commenced, the atmosphere grew tense with excitement. Parents watched their little ones recite their piece, all dressed up in housecoats and holding shepherd staffs. When the program ended, my father announced that we had one last thing to do. Several adults passed out a box of candy, a big red apple, and a big navel orange to everyone.
The service ended and we all went home with a treat and a smile.
Printed in the Old Mountain Press winter anthology 2017

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

I am reprinting my story from last year. It brings back lots of good memories for me and hopefully you will enjoy it as well.

Life is a Collection

Life is a Collection

From birth announcement to death certificate

Life is a collection of items saved or tossed

Valued pieces set aside and preserved

Carefully kept along with memories

Bronzed shoes remembering first steps

Crayoned pictures from primary school

A red heart with an “I love you mom!”

Certificates in a box mark accomplishments

Cards from special people for special occasions

Jewelry passed down from mother to daughter

Memories of Grandmother reading stories

Trips taken, cups and teaspoons collected and saved

Photos in the family album now transferred to digital

Grandmother’s china carefully set for special occasions

A box of keepsakes valued only by me

A pocket knife, a baseball card, cufflinks, a bowtie

Memories soon to be forgotten by those coming after

Preserved history like the rings on a tree

Soon to be cut down and chipped into paper

Recording their memories of the future

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Photo of the Russian Dolls and Spike the Tomato : Dwight L. Roth

Read the story of Spike the Tomato on my Amazon Kindle collection….