A couple of days ago, I witnessed the very sad occasion of a co-worker being informed that her father had just passed away, and that he was in a different country. She is relatively young still, and I was heart broken to see her sadness. I chose to include in her condolence letter the same poem that I sent to a previous recipient, about the ship and how it relates to dying. Consequently, I felt it was appropriate to do a little painting of an old fashioned clipper, a sea ship. This was done in gouache and I enjoyed playing with the blues and yellows. Here is how it came out:
The second envelope that I completed this week was also for a co-worker. This gentleman has been working at the location that I manager for over 40 years. I think it was difficult for him to make the decision to move to the next chapter of his life, as I'm sure it is with anyone who has really dedicated him or herself to an industry for such a long time. I chose to sketch a picture of a bird, ready to fly off to a higher perch, since I'm secretly a little jealous that he is at a point that he can step away from it, to find freedom with his family in this new part of his life. I've still got a number of years before being able to reach such a stage, but I'm hoping to keep my wings ready for flight, for when the opportunity presents itself...
This also was done in gouache:
