A lot of firsts this month.

I promised I would show you guys the painting I was working on in class. Here is the finished product of my first project! The objects were still life items that we found and brought into class. This was my first painting class ever, so at first it was really difficult to paint objects from life representation. I tried really hard to stay true to the objects, but it definitely ended up turning into my own representation of what I saw.

Now, we are working on a nude portrait of a woman. I feel like I need to call on my great-grandmother's spirit, who produced many beautiful, classic nude and still life portraits. This actually brings to mind one of the guys in my class. He looked so uncomfortable. He turned beet red, and could not look directly at the model. My teacher said she even had some students leave the room when the model removed his/her clothes. I don't understand why nudity makes some people so uncomfortable? Especially in art! I guess I'll never really understand -- in that respect, my French side runs pretty strong. It ain't nothing we haven't seen before... let's embrace it!

We'll see how the nude portrait turns out. It might end up looking like a stick figure with boobs.

Anyway, here is my "interpretation of the situation" in the form of a skull, an apple on a glass, a bundle of yarn, and a diablo.

And remember, don't be scurred!

Nude portrait by Paul Gauguin (1896)