touch the sun

the more time that i spend drawing/coloring, the more obsessed i become with drawing/coloring. jerry recently asked me if i would draw a picture for him some time. friday (12/02) was his birthday, so i thought that would be the perfect occassion to draw/color a picture for him. i wasn't feeling well, so i took a day off from work. while i was lying around during the day time, i did this picture so that i could give it to him before i left for work that night. my relationship w/ jerry is such that i want to reach for more than i ever thought possible. it's like having the perfect feeling cupped in my hands -- to hold, to protect, to share. he (in our relationship) reminds me of reaching to touch the sun. i know i might get burned, but i can't help but reach out to touch it anyway.

this picture was inspired by a picture that one of my students had printed off of the internet (minus the near nudity in the forefront). some ideas i borrowed from the picture (like the kissing clouds in the rainbow) and other things i added on my own. the person in the picture is a "likeness" of me in some ways -- i have green eyes. i have short/curly brown hair, i have a large diamond earring in my upper left ear, and i have lip prints tattooed on my derriere. the funny thing was that when i gave jerry the picture and he studied it for a bit, he acted like he was looking at my backside to compare the lips. i started laughing and said, "they're right. i had to get up and go look in the mirror to see which way they're slanted just to make sure!" he had a good laugh out of that! i've had the tattoo for so long, i just don't even think of it anymore and sometimes even forget that it's there.

i have no idea what he'll do w/ the picture. i suggested hanging it in the closet, but he didn't like that idea. i said, "well, i don't think we need to put that out for the grandchildren to see." i guess i should explain that MY closet is a 10 x 12 room w/ hanging racks and storage boxes and plenty of wall space. i store me wreaths and seasonal door hanging and other decor in there when not in use. i also have some slogans/stickers that i think are funny/hilarious hanging in there b/c they would upset my mother if she saw them displayed publicly. so i have a feeling that eventually that picture will end up in my closet -- on jerry's side.

the picture was done w/ prang colored pencils on 65# sketch paper. silver sharpie used to "dot" the earring in on the upper ear. sprayed w/ matte finish sealant when done to keep the pencil from smearing any more.