It was a fun hobby that I relaxed with...
In the 1990's after Sylvia and I returned to Reno, NV from our 'adventure' of living in her hometown of Waterbury, CT (which is where I now live...but that's another story), I was working again in a casino.
It was a fun job because while I was dealing I got to talk to people and learn all about them. But as with any job, I needed to come home and relax so a hobby was an answer. While Syl was busy doing 'her girly thing' I could be bizee doing mine.
Sylvia (before I met her) used to do a lot of work with ceramics. I still have a large stein that she painted, fired, and won a 1st prize for. Now I'm not one that would be interested in going through 'all that' so one day at the mall I made a discovery. Hydrocal. The unfinished pieces were like unpainted plaster but stronger and didn't need to be fired. A new hobby began.
First, among all the possibilities in the Hydrocal Store, I found a cute little statue of a hefty lady with a cap and she was showing the derriere portion of her bloomers. That would go great on our countertop and add some fun! So 'imagined' what colors I would use to make the finished product and of course some brushes.
When I was growing up I hung out at the Art Museum in Cleveland, which gave me a sense of history, sculpture, color, etc. Plus my 'art lessons' there started a love of painting. I did some oils and watercolors along the way...but I wasn't in the mood to do that. So I figured out what 'ladies' in that era would do 'colorwise'...and I did it!
Next came our Christmas display. I painted two Victorian houses...true to the time frame when it came to color. Then one day Syl and I were on a foray to the mall. I was out of stuff to paint and stopped in to the Hydrocal store to see if there was anything I could find to work on. A statue jumped out at me and shouted "Paint me." I recognized it immediately. It was a replica of 'The Rape of the Sabine Women' by Giambologna. From my study of Greek and Roman history, I knew that the Greeks painted many of their marble statues (particles of paint residue remained) so I decided I would paint that one.
Sylvia's response was less than positive, not knowing the story behind the founding of Rome and how the Romans managed to 'populate' the new Empire. Not the way to treat a lady, but that was then.
Syl, being a 'dignified lady' said in a low screech, "BUT THEY'RE NAKED". Now when I made my mind up to something, nothing stopped me. She left the store and waited outside as I purchased the required paints and three-haired paint brushes etc. I think it was her way of 'pretending not to know me.'
When the statue was finished (down to the last 'detail') her response was, "That's MINE". It came out beautifully, told a story and sat on our large screen TV in the living room for years. It's the way we put together Crocker Castle...with a lot of thought and surrounded by things that were meaningful to us. We both had our own 'unusual pursuits' that made us together...but uniquely different.
It was a fun job because while I was dealing I got to talk to people and learn all about them. But as with any job, I needed to come home and relax so a hobby was an answer. While Syl was busy doing 'her girly thing' I could be bizee doing mine.
Sylvia (before I met her) used to do a lot of work with ceramics. I still have a large stein that she painted, fired, and won a 1st prize for. Now I'm not one that would be interested in going through 'all that' so one day at the mall I made a discovery. Hydrocal. The unfinished pieces were like unpainted plaster but stronger and didn't need to be fired. A new hobby began.
First, among all the possibilities in the Hydrocal Store, I found a cute little statue of a hefty lady with a cap and she was showing the derriere portion of her bloomers. That would go great on our countertop and add some fun! So 'imagined' what colors I would use to make the finished product and of course some brushes.
When I was growing up I hung out at the Art Museum in Cleveland, which gave me a sense of history, sculpture, color, etc. Plus my 'art lessons' there started a love of painting. I did some oils and watercolors along the way...but I wasn't in the mood to do that. So I figured out what 'ladies' in that era would do 'colorwise'...and I did it!
Next came our Christmas display. I painted two Victorian houses...true to the time frame when it came to color. Then one day Syl and I were on a foray to the mall. I was out of stuff to paint and stopped in to the Hydrocal store to see if there was anything I could find to work on. A statue jumped out at me and shouted "Paint me." I recognized it immediately. It was a replica of 'The Rape of the Sabine Women' by Giambologna. From my study of Greek and Roman history, I knew that the Greeks painted many of their marble statues (particles of paint residue remained) so I decided I would paint that one.
Sylvia's response was less than positive, not knowing the story behind the founding of Rome and how the Romans managed to 'populate' the new Empire. Not the way to treat a lady, but that was then.
Syl, being a 'dignified lady' said in a low screech, "BUT THEY'RE NAKED". Now when I made my mind up to something, nothing stopped me. She left the store and waited outside as I purchased the required paints and three-haired paint brushes etc. I think it was her way of 'pretending not to know me.'
When the statue was finished (down to the last 'detail') her response was, "That's MINE". It came out beautifully, told a story and sat on our large screen TV in the living room for years. It's the way we put together Crocker Castle...with a lot of thought and surrounded by things that were meaningful to us. We both had our own 'unusual pursuits' that made us together...but uniquely different.
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