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December 20, 2007
fish!
by sven at 1:37 am
Two Sundays back (12/9) it was my friend Lane's birthday. I'm point-person for organizing her party each year. So I ask: Cake? Angel food with strawberries. Movie? Ice Age 2. Decorations?
...FISH!!
Fourteen years ago, during a difficult summer, I decorated Lane's house with lots of ginormous painted fish. It helped.
Play it again, Sven!
So, in the midst of an all-nighter, wherein I was hard at work on a super-secret xmas project, I managed to squeeze some time in during the wee hours just before dawn -- painting fish.
The original fish were watercolors. The new ones were done in acrylics. I cut 'em out, stacked 'em up, and drove 'em across town... Our friend (more like family, really) Jacque distracted Lane while I redecorated the house into a walk-in aquarium.
Lane was delighted! ...What a fun little project. :-)
posted by sven | December 20, 2007 1:37 AM | comments (7) | categories: painting
Comments
Wow, these are huge. I didn't catch on to that until I went back and saw that first photo again...there's the oven, the dishwasher...oh my goodness. Unless that's a doll house set.
Posted by: shuju at December 20, 2007 10:46 AM
Wow! Sven those are spectacular! What a fantastically inventive way to decorate for a party. I will copy.
You know, things such as you've done affect young people's lives forever. She will always remember that creative a vision.
Posted by: shelley noble at December 20, 2007 12:18 PM
sven: that butcher paper (and therefore each fish) is maybe 2 feet wide?
also, when i was importing these pix into iphoto, i gave each fish a name: pinky, kissyface, sugar, gorm, pierre, funnelface, alastair & bob.
Posted by: gl. at December 20, 2007 12:27 PM
@gl: Ha! I love those fish names! Well done. :-)
@gl + shu-ju: The butcher paper is 4 feet wide. BIIIIG little fishies...
@Shells: If I could, think I'd choose to be a figure who inspires children through living wildly -- rather than merely setting a pasteurized "good example." It's the difference between being "good simply by not being bad" -- and "good by having genuine enthusiasm for something worthwhile."
...In Lane's case it's a little late, though. This was her 37th birthday!
(Yes, we're an odd lot.)
Posted by: sven at December 20, 2007 12:45 PM
oh, my gosh, sven! i love that: the kind of kindness & good example that comes from "having genuine enthusiasm for something worthwhile." that's my favorite kind of inspiration.
Posted by: gl. at December 20, 2007 1:48 PM
Why would it have to be something worthwhile?
I like the fishies!
Posted by: michael5000 at December 20, 2007 2:26 PM
These are beautiful!! I love the idea of having a big house full of fish! All you need now is an octopus . . . Maybe my birthday party could have a "nesting" theme - and I could hang birds from the ceiling while we Gocco print on food with Shu Ju! Not that I get all elaborate about my birthday or anything . . . :)
Posted by: bansheegrrll at December 21, 2007 11:35 PM