I am ninja

Thursday 30/07/09

a.m.

It's raining, it's sunny, it's raining, it's sunny.

I need to be a one man tactical painting assault team. Get in, do the job and get out, never leaving a man behind.

I've got the wet weather gear. I'm set up. There's a big white van right in the middle of the view I want to paint, but WHA! WHA! I am ninja and I strike like the lightning and paint round bends, WHA! WHA!

The rain starts, but look at me, I am ninja and I dodge the rain drops, WHA! WHA! The rain keeps coming and WHA! WHA! I keep dodging, but the rain keeps getting heavier and wha wha whaddayaknow, it's p*****g down and I'm soaked and everything's soaked and the wet weather gear can't cope cos it's too torrential and you know the workers sitting in the van are having a good old laugh and I give up even though I've only just started the painting.

Helluva summer.

p.m.

Someone somewhere figures that they've had enough weather fun for the day and the afternoon/evening proves to be a good (relatively speaking) one, so I can start the commission down the road from our house.

It's a difficult composition and I'm standing a bit awkwardly, but for a first session it seems to be going okay and I get to know a few of the neighbours.

Friday 31/07/09

Pulled something in my back yesterday putting out the rubbish (oo, I am so ninja) so I'm walking a bit strangely today. I haven't done many out and about drawings recently so I stop by this house on the way to the studio. It's recently been done up and I think it looks great - like a georgian norman bates motel. Shame the surroundings detract slightly, but I just ignore that. I think it would make a good painting, but I have to stand in the drive way so I'll settle for drawing it. I take my time too, to do it justice. There's no sign of life - I guess it's residential as there are no adverts and it's so big that it's probably more than one, but no one stirs. The net curtains don't twitch and no one bothers me as I stand leaning against a gate pillar - maybe I could have painted it.

Later, still walking to the studio, through the busy crowds of shoppers I cross Milsom Street. I trip over something, catch myself before I fall and walk on pretending that nothing happened (you know, you've been there - heh heh, yeah did it on purpose, but really, I am cool, no really).

Oh yes, definitely ninja.