Great Expectations Day 20
Still having their Christmas meal; Pip still being verbally assaulted by the adults. They relate Pip (and all children) to swines. “What is detestable in a pig, is more detestable in a boy.” Joe continues to drown Pip’s plate in gravy to help him feel better. What makes it worse is that they are eating pork! So poor Pip is miserable on Christmas Day. At least he gets lots of gravy!
This artwork is a combination of Photoshop work, an acrylic pattern I painted (at the bottom) and a scan of an old dictionary page. The dictionary is giving the meaning of mother, mothering and motherless. No matter how hard Mrs Joe has tried raising Pip “by hand” she is no replacement for a true mother.
I made it to Day 20!
Here is one of my favorite etsy artists: Lucile Prache from France. I love her hand-painted recipes. Here is one for mincemeat pie. (I believe Pip stole some mincemeat from Mrs Joe’s pantry to give to the convict.)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/82021079/art-for-kitchen-mincemeat-pie-recipe
Great Expectations Day 18 – a day early
(Well, a few hours early! I have a very busy day tomorrow, so I am posting tomorrow’s art early.)
Christmas Day feast! The guests are: Mr Wopsle (clerk at church), Mr and Mrs Hubble (he’s a wheelwright) and Uncle Pumblechook (a corn chandler – what?!). Of course, Pip, Joe and Mrs Joe are hosting. Mrs Joe stays home from church getting the house and meal ready. (Still no mention of the robbery in the pantry!) They dine in the kitchen, then adjourn to the parlor for nuts, oranges and apples.
This drawing started out with the Christmas wreath and the treats they ate after the meal. Then I had fun with it!
Here is an old Christmas cookie cutter given to me by a neighbor. It’s not as old as this story, but I think it’s cute enough to share with you. He has a funny expression on his face. I hope you can see it! He’s resting on an old street map of London.
Great Expectations Day 17
Ceramic poodles?! REALLY?!!? Pip’s home is described in more detail. It’s actually Mrs Joe’s home. (She wears the pants and pretty much runs everything.) She has four white ceramic poodles on the mantel, each carrying a basket in their teeth. I got the impression that Mrs Joe was a no-nonsense, no-frills, hearty-stock kind of a woman. Not the type to have little ceramic poodles on the mantel! I just couldn’t get this image out of my mind… so I did a painting of a kitschy ceramic poodle. These must have been popular at the time. Cute!
Also had a different image in my mind while reading this page. So here’s another, a quick Illustrator piece. The wings I drew two years ago for a different project. (Recycling!)
Pip and Joe are heading into church on Christmas Day, both wearing ill-fitting clothes. (Mrs Joe picks out their clothing. No surprise there!) Pip is thinking of confessing his sins during the service, but he doesn’t. He is terrified and remorseful. Poor kid. But hey, it’s Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!
Great Expectations Day 16
Only Day 16?!?!! I have a ways to go. Still hanging in there.
A mention of Christmas Day! Pip is relieved upon returning from visiting the convict in the marsh… the robbery has gone undetected! (so far) Mrs Joe is vigorously cleaning the house for the festivities of the holiday. She asks Pip where he has been. He lies, saying he was out hearing the carols. Pip and Joe are having a light breakfast so that Mrs Joe can keep working. (Are they not helping?) Pip and Joe have a secret hand symbol that they use when Mrs Joe is in a “cross temper”. (It’s crossed fingers, like in the window above.)
I drew this piece of art with pastels. I have never liked using them (too much chalky dust!) but decided to give it a try. I have two sets of Design Nupastels; one with 48 pieces and one with 72. I love the way they look in the box… all the colors. I actually enjoyed using them, despite the dust. They were very quick and no waiting for paint to dry. I’ll use them again!
Did you see the Google yesterday? It was Dicken’s 200th birthday!
My name is Julie and I'm reading Great Expectations one page a day and also creating one little work of art (30 minutes or less) a day relating to what I read. Thanks for looking and reading. Leave a comment to let me know what you think!
Goodreads
