Saturday, April 26, 2008

Thirteen


9 X 13 journal page
Golden Acrylic paints, collage fodder, paint pen, stamps

Thirteen was the turning point in my youth and in no particular order, everything was changing, mind, body and soul. There was lots of daydreaming, about boys, marriage, future, family, all the things you dream about at this tender young age.

Afternoons were spent playing with make-up and trying to look pretty. I begged my mom to buy me some make-up and she came home with Yardley of London, pink cow lipstick and pink twinkle blush and I remember being aghast because this was just not hip enough. I wanted Mary Quant, this was hip and va va voom. My mom wouldn't have it. I would have to begin this transformation, demure and sweet. There was talk about pink ribbons in my hair and eating apples everyday to stay healthy. I was coming of age. I was lucky.

and speaking of luck... I had decided that '13' would be my lucky number. It was an awkward number and that's why I liked it. For many cultures it was considered 'unlucky', especially on the 13th day of the month, when it coincided with Friday.

My dad's birthday is on the 13th of October and I would get such a kick out of it when it would fall on a Friday. I thought it was so cool to have a birthday on Friday the 13th. My dad's not at all superstitious, you see... because he informed me that 13 is actually a lucky number for us eye-talians. So there you have it, besides you can't divide evenly into it, so something or someone was always left out and as luck would have it, we always had a referee.

I'll leave you with this quote:
"Never trust a man who tells you all his troubles, but keeps you from all his joys"

I love her voice, the music of Alison Krauss here is
"The Lucky One" for your listening pleasure.


Have a wonderful weekend and thank you always for your visits and kind words.

My other blogspot: "ThE ArTfuL EyE"

8 comments:

K Hutchinson said...

The composition and colors are outstanding in this piece! I love your handwriting!

I find it so interesting that 13 is your lucky number! I love the story behind it! I am really not fond of odd numbers, not sure why that is. Ben was born on the 11th and I was having a fit- I wanted to wait until the 12th. The rest of us have even numbered Birthdays! My lucky number is 2- and it came into play when I was 12 years old BMX racing- I broke my leg in the middle of the season. I had a hip to toe cast for 6 months...so I ended up finish 2nd in the state..it was this point in my life that I decide it would be my lucky number.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Irene said...

Love your journal page, very well done.

I met a woman the other day who very joylessly told me all her trouble in her life. I didn't care for her at all.

My lucky number is 7, I was born on the 7th, so it has to be, but I don't give it much thought, except for maybe thinking in terms of 7 meager years and 7 fat years etc. I guess maybe I do believe that, except I don't know which cycle this is. Must figure that out.

Maybe it goes in months and not years, yes, that must be it!

John M. Mora said...

Another strong page - how did you write right off the page and not have the penmanship suffer? The work flopws well and has or grace and sentiments. It has intimacy and aI can see it as a wonderful labor of love - towards yourself and your family.

I was twelve or thirteen when I discovered girls - lttle shy crushes at first of course. Went to an all boys school which I would never puit my children through, Girls my age whjere in a building two doors down. Sacred Heart nuns ran both schools - I did get a great education.

I am very superstitous only at the craps table - used to play in Tahowe a lot in my young adulthood - that was more than 13 years ago. I have ESP, sometimes - honestly.

John M. Mora said...

What a lovely song - the slide guitar is like honey matched by Alison's voice. Funny, I love music but I always look at the art first. With the vid going on I looked at your slide show, Gerard, the dune buggy etc - ths slide show looked good with this Lucky song going on.

Thanks for all your kind visits.

Unknown said...

first i concur with john's comment about kind visiting..i love it when you come to see me...now that i have my egocentricities out of the way....i am really enjoying these walks down memory lane with you...i found 11 to be a pivotal time in my life...those early pubescent years...
remember twiggy? did you draw on eyelashes too?
~sue okieffe

John M. Mora said...

Thirteen looks lovely on my blackberry - who is the man in middle who looks like george gershwin?

Artists With Artitude said...

Okay, now I am convinced that the banner in this blog is you !! :) There are so many similarities now that you have uncovered your lovely face !! Tee hee...

Loved Mary Quant too. Was too young for make-up but not for minis...My first visit abroad was to London and Carnaby Street!! I will never forget that trip.

Hated being 13...On the other hand, 13 has a special symbolism such as the Baker's dozen and in Lebanon, the florist always adds a 13th rose to a dozen (does this happen here? Never thought of counting)..

Cory said...

13....that number appears in many of my art pieces, I see it somewhere on a daily bases...I love the number.

Great journal page and the first 13 I saw today...thank you.