It took me awhile, but I finally figured out what was wrong.  I have been painting my new bathroom.  It isn't finished yet, so it has been relatively easy to do.  It is only temporary until I can do something else with the walls, but I wanted some nice colours in there that would keep it bright since there is no window.  


The walls are now a nice greenish...maybe sea foam green?  I am never good with colour names.  The ceiling is a light buttery yellow.  I hated doing the walls but Joseph helped me so it wasn't too bad.  Sam did part of the ceiling and I was finishing up today when I realized what was bugging me.  


Here I am, painting one colour on what happens to be the biggest "canvas" I have worked on in...well, I have NEVER worked on a canvas that big.  How BORING!  I am not a painter but I have an artists heart.  I love to paint scenery or designs.  Walls aren't meant to be bland and boring.  So, I need to do something about that.


I haven't figured out yet what I am going to do.  Is my bathroom going to turn into an aquarium?  Or have painted plants peeking out from different corners?  Of course, if I go with an aquarium scene, I can have "underwater" plants.  And fish, bubbles, maybe a fish hook...a water bug or two.  


It will take me awhile because I am not sure.  It has to be something I can live with and it has to be something I can paint.  I am far from perfect.  My Grandfather was an artist.  One of his paintings hangs in my living room.  It is the Kennebecasis River (Yeah, I had to look that one up to spell it right) in Hampton.  A scene he painted looking out the living room window of a house he built.  His little dock with a small boat, the bridge, rolling hills in the background and the lighthouse he built that houses some of his things like oars and yard tools.  I can remember seeing that scene when I went to my grandparents house as a small child.  There are other pictures that he did that have been handed out to the family.  A picture of a man who we all called Genghis Khan.  A boat named the Thironda (after his 3 children, Thiry, Ronal and David), tied to a small dock.  A sailing ship, a picture from the war as a ship rammed a sub.  It really happened.  Whether my grandfather saw or or just painted the images out of his mind, I do not know, but it looked realistic.


My sister was or is artistic but let the skill die as she got older and life got busy.  She still creates beautiful works of art in the jewelry that she makes. She also does beautiful cross stitch.  One of her boys has picked up drawing as if he had done it all his life.  I hope he uses this skill and works on getting better.  My girls both have artistic talents.  Both had characters that they drew everywhere when they were younger.  Bryen had "Mr Moose".  A moose like creature that stood on 2 legs, often in a swamp.  And Samantha had Dude. A young man, dressed like all the boys of the day.  Nothing remarkable about Dude and Mr. Moose.  But you could see the talent.  As they got older they drew more and they started painting.  Unfortunately life got in the way and neither have much time to paint anymore.  Maybe someday they will pick up brush and canvas and start again.


Mom never learned to paint or draw.  It also skipped the oldest of the boys, Ronal.  But David picked it up and has honed his skill over the years.  He is very good.  And he has learned woodworking...another skill that gramp had.  Gramp built a lot of furniture over the years.  I have a few of his things.  A small stand, a desk, a bed side table and a bureau.  Maybe other things that I can't think of at the moment.  All pieces that I treasure.  I regret giving away the small living room piece he made with two chairs and a table in between with a rack underneath for magazines and a lamp on the back of the table.  It was just right for a couple to sit and talk or watch tv.  (My grandparents never had a tv.  They felt it was unnecessary and had plenty of other things to keep them busy)


I hope that, if my children ever have children of their own that they will pass the skills on to them and encourage their children in arts and crafts.  


Back to my bathroom.  It sits there, a canvas for my brushes.  I am excited to start...something.  I will look around, find something that inspires me.  Something that will look interesting and I will begin painting.  I can't wait!