A Rainy Day Project

"Save a boyfriend for a rainy day --

and another, in case it doesn't rain."

-- Mae West

Medusa, mixed media on canvas (detail) 4-18-14

My mom was fond of the saying "save it for a rainy day."

It could mean any of a number of things, but it usually didn't really have anything to do with rain. It was simply her way of saying "Put it off, Kid. Procrastinate. There'll be plenty of dark, dreary days in life. Learn to have fun while the sun's shining."

Or it could mean "Think it over. Be certain. Don't blow through that birthday cash until you know for sure what you want to spend it on."

Or it could mean, "I don't want to hear you complaining that there's nothing to do. Save it for a rainy day, so next time you're bitching about how bored you are you'll have options."

For me, artistically speaking, a rainy day project is usually something that requires multi-day patience, like glue or paint that needs drying time. It's usually something that can't be rushed, that I can leave and come back to and leave and come back to in between other projects -- that I can only do so much of before it has to rest. It could be a collage, or a painting, or a sculpture, or a  paper mache mask, or, in today's case, a mixed-media piece.

Medusa, mixed media on canvas 4-18-14

I've been poking and picking at this mixed media Medusa for several weeks. It was a way to use up a whole bunch of random, leftover art and craft supplies, like paper flowers, little plastic snakes and skulls, glitter, felt letters, a paper butterfly, acrylic paint, spray paint, a mesh citrus bag, some stickers.

I have to say, I find all of these bits and pieces much more compelling now that they're freed from their drawer and assembled together. And I actually did have some rainy days to work on her. And some windy days. And some snowy days. And some windy/rainy/snowy days.

Anyway, it's been a while since I've made a Medusa.

It was good to see her face again.