Nocturnal Artist

I have been insanely busy lately. I’ve had three exams this week. I think I did quite well, but I’ve still got a lot ahead of me.

In the meantime, I thought I would share the video of one of my talented friends. Her name is Rachel, but I call her Rai. She’s wonderfully brilliant and knows more about language than anyone I’ve met. If I recall correctly, she can speak some French, Danish, Spanish, American Sign Language, as well as some others that I have probably forgotten. She also has a lovely voice.

Anyhow, this is Rai covering All I Want by Joni Mitchell:

I have always enjoyed watching people paint or draw, so I decided that it might be interesting to document my own progression.















I first started with a rough outline of an eye. That is what I usually start with if I'm not certain of what to paint or draw. The rest comes to me eventually.

Sadly, the color in these images is slightly off. My walls should be a shade of lavender.















Next, I started to work in greater detail. Most obvious in the image above is that I've added the lashes, but I also did some shading and touched up on the eyelids. I also seem to have lost my blue paint, so the iris is now mostly green.

I've been told that I shouldn't paint in sections, but it's simply what works for me. I would also like to note that the dripping paint is intentional.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to paint again, so here is a close-up of what I've done so far:

Last night, I had a dream that I was on an airplane. I had a four hour flight, I desperately needed to pee, and I was afraid to use the bathroom. Instead of getting over my fear of airplane toilets, I called JM on my cell phone and told him about my situation. We joked and chatted about it until the airplane landed, and I could find an alternate bathroom in the airport.

I'm annoyed with some of my classes. I do my work, get mostly A's, but I feel like a drone. I am less inclined to think for myself. When I was one of four hundred and my teachers knew my name, it was easy to take pride in my individuality. Now I feel like a statistic.

I should sleep, but I know that as soon as I pull the covers over myself I will not be able to. I have been an insomniac for as long as I can remember. I have tried everything that has ever been suggested to me. Sleeping pills induced a sort of artificial sleep. Evening exercise left my body exhausted, but my mind awake. Chamomile tea helped me become slightly more relaxed, but nothing more.

I often went to high school after sleeping for less than an hour. Sometimes, I went without sleeping at all. I wonder if it will shorten my life.

Perhaps the worst part is, I honestly don't want to give up the night.