Gloria - the Finale

We are now up 60 degrees from four days ago, the snow and ice are rapidly melting, and the roads are either dry or filled with puddles along the curbs and potholes.  My car seems to have made a full recovery, thanks to the combination of maintenance and warming temperatures.  Three days from now the forecast is for rain, so I hope the apparent improvements continue through the next weather and temperature shift!

I am working to finalize all of my shopping and hope each of you who participates in gift exchanging is at a good point in the process, as well.   I am also nearing the completion of mailing cards - something I have not done for several years.  I was tempted to print an original image with a good discount coupon for printing.  Of course, in good promotion form, the coupon was only good for a very short time...but offered a very good discount.  In hindsight, I probably should have ordered double what I ordered, but......with mail-order printing, you just don't know what you are going to get..........the results were pretty good!!!!!

The meter officer in the picture below is actually called Gloria on the Chicago website.  I think this is the last in the series for her image, and the next in the series for the summertime shopper - Laura.

Gloria - finale - pencil, gouache and acrylic ink on tan 400 series Strathmore paper.

Laura - in progress - pencil, gouache and acrylic ink on tan 400 series Strathmore paper.

Maintenance Complete

Today was the big day for my car to go in for its' oil and filter change and check on whatever it is that is going on with the tires.  Evidently there has been a tremendous increase in maintenance visits for tires and tire pressure in the past week - due mostly to the weather.  First and foremost is the tire pressure issue (also the topic of the feature news story yesterday.)  The second issue frequently negatively impacting the warning system and drive-ability has been the build-up of ice and road "sludge" that freezes in the wheel wells. 

My tires were inflated appropriately (after a little 'at-home' intervention with the air compressor last week when it was 35 below zero,) and were not scheduled to be rotated.  Once inside a warm service garage, where the sludge,etc. fell off, (it was also more than 60 degrees warmer today than it was on air pressure day) the maintenance system did not indicate a tire problem any more - go figure.  The diagnostics testing DID indicate that my battery was not functioning properly, however, and so I received a new battery under the warranty replacement program.  Could that have been the cause of the maintenance system activity?  The gas gauge appears to be functioning at a more responsive rate, the dash lights are brighter (in comparison to what they have been, ) and the clock does not lose a minute + an hour.....hmmmmmmmmmmm.  Well, until we get our own personal diagnostic plug-ins, like the Progressive insurance gizmo, we're at the mercy of the service departments of the auto industry (can you tell I am a little less that confident in their practices???)

Anyway, below are the next stages in our meter officer from Chicago and our summer shopper - equipped with I-phone and ear buds (the picture this was based on was obviously taken pre-WiFi (easily lost) ear buds.

Finally back...

At long last I am able to get back into my blog site.  I am not sure what the problem has been, but I have typed many entries, only to have them disappear when I click save........the wonder of technology!

My car has been communicating frequently, these days.  Although related to the frigid cold, it necessarily because of the below zero temps or the wind chill warnings.  The first communication was about tire pressure.  The threshold seems to be 32 degrees and the warning lights flash "tire pressure, tire pressure, tire pressure.....!"  No sooner were the tires welcoming additional air pressure then the next communication alerted me to a "maintenance" update that it was time for an oil change.  Since the sticker on the windshield also marked the arrival of oil change time, this warning did not send chills of "car failure" to me like the flashing "tire pressure" did. 

The following day came alert number three to indicate the "urgent need" for a new oil filter.  Since oil change and oil filter go hand in hand, this is a "no brainer." 

Then came day four AND alert number four - tire maintenance needed.  I have no clue what this one is and digging through the layers of screens in the alert system provides no additional information.  Since I have an appointment at the dealership scheduled, I can relax a little when a new panel light flashes.  With the temperature at -20something today (and the wind chill is significantly lower,) staying home and attending to gift wrapping, tree trimming and laundry seems more prudent than driving anyway....that's one way to ensure that I will not have to deal with additional warning lights today. 

Prior to Thanksgiving, when I was able to enter this site daily, I was sharing the work I had done using the Chicago website as a source of inspiration.  Below is the next progression in the image I was sharing at the time.  Clearly this is not a picture from 2016, December in Chicago.  Neither is the beginning of the Chicago shopper........if the pictures were from today, I would be working on a great sketch of a nose sticking out of a coat.....brrrrrrrr!

We'll see how long I am able to get back to this site....stay tuned!

Post Turkey

I am still not convinced that the Thanksgiving meal is the best eats of the pre-Christmas season.  I think I continue to land in the camp of black Friday Leftovers....OK, that sounds awful in that advertising context.  Let's just call it - leftovers.  There actually is a little of this cherry pie left, for example......a couple of people might enjoy a slice before the pan is "...put to other uses."  (yes, that's a SCAMPER skill! )

And yes I did assemble this pie, although I have to admit it is not a "from scratch" endeavor -  I did whip the egg whites to brush on the top to get that crispy, golden glow...the rest is truly assembled!  Delicious, nonetheless!

 Did you watch the dog show that followed the parade on Thursday?  (I just have to catch a little of the New York parade to make the day officially Thanksgiving, although I did switch the channel to see what was going on in Chicago.  Do you remember when several cities had parades and you would play "dial a channel" to catch glimpses of them all???) 

Anyway, I was very hopeful that the spaniel above would win the show...A striking look for a well-groomed canine and very bright-eyed as handler responsive.  I was disappointed when the greyhound was announced as the winner. 

I think this hound has nailed my sentiments regarding the announced winner - "Bah, humbug!"  Combined with the fact that they ran commercials during the presentation of the dalmatian, it was not a stellar dog show year in my book.  Of course I might feel differently if I had spend much time actually watching it...I was mostly preparing food........which brings me back to the delightful leftovers we will enjoy for today's evening meal. 

I hope your day-after-Thanksgiving is filled with the people, activities and things that you enjoy!  Let the merriment begin and the flakes fall (yep, I mean snowflakes!) Some Minnesotans are looking forward to to wonderful sonwmobiling season this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you enjoy a day of peace and celebration for family, health and gathering together and take some time to reflect and give thanks for the ancestors of your past.

Gloria Progression

Once I got into the pattern, I took more regular pictures of Gloria as my work progressed.  You could think of these like the "Highlights for Children" Hidden Pictures challenge.  (That used to be the best part of going to the doctor's office!)

I think there are a couple of other walking patrol officers in different neighborhoods of the Chicago photographs - both men and women.  Gloria has the most dramatic attitude, however (probably why I selected her to sketch, then paint first!) 

So, did you find the minor differences from one image to the next? 

Gloria

One of the challenges with almost all of the Chicago photographs is the flat affect of the people being photographed.  A few are clearly disgusted, a few are flashing gang signs, and few are billowing smoke (like the "T'was the Nigh Before Christmas" reference to Santa's smoke wreath,) but most are just standing like a statue. 

I wanted to sketch and paint the image of Gloria because personality exudes from her photograph.  I think the equipment helps and the work-uniform attire, but her hair style, reflective glasses and stance all convey a strong presence.

I apologize for not capturing the initial stages of her sketch - which I do not believe was done using red pencil. 

It is clear that Gloria wants her photograph to convey a readiness to get to work - she is about business!