Painting Little Sheepy

We just did Clara's room not long ago and the way we have it set up her bed is up against a wall and nothing is on that wall. It is screaming out for something so I decided to do some paintings for there (there are 5 little paintings I will frame together)---so kind of like a headboard :) When I made Clara's bedding before she was even born (and we didn't know is she was a she or he), I picked gender neutral sheep--very cute. Well, it has stuck and Clara LOVES sheep!! That is why she has so many sheep---it seems to be what people get her. Well, as you have seen in pictures Little Sheepy is her most favorite.

Nonni got Little Sheepy for Clara when she was a little baby from the Dollar Store. Clara loved it so much, she would pick it up with her feet and hands and it was perfect like a ball. So, my mom got two more so we would always have one if anything happened to her prized sheep. Clara loves them all, but Sheepy number one is still her favorite and has become "Little Sheepy" because it is so well loved it is smashed :)

When we moved in here, we went for a walk down in the woods where the development will someday be. What do we find face down in the mud back there---a little sheep---exactly like the ones she has had for 3 years!!! I thought it must be one of hers that got washed down here in rain we have had. So, we scoop up the sheep and carry it home. It was a pathetic looking sheep----totally orange from the clay caked on it everywhere. As soon as we got home we did a sheep count---all three of Clara's sheep were here!!! What are the chances of that?!!!

We have a name for all the sheep---1. is Little Sheepy 2. is No arm sheepy (his arms didn't last long for some reason) 3. is Spike---his fur is in a spike on top and down his back and now 4. which is God's gift Sheepy since there is no other explaination for that sheep other than God!! By the way, God's Gift cleaned up very well and you can't even tell it was in such bad shape.

Anyway, we picked a border to go along with the sheep thing and I figured I would paint a couple of the sheep from that border and in the center would be Little Sheepy. So, I get everything out to paint. I got the girls set up to do their own paintings and I asked Clara for Little Sheepy so he could model for me. She said "you are going to paint Little Sheepy?" I said yes and she freaked out. No, don't paint him!!! I soon realized she thought I meant I was going to actually paint ON Little Sheepy, not a picture of him. How funny! I calmed her down by explaining what I was going to do and she was satisfied.

It has been a long time since I have painted (I didn't realize how long until I sat down to do it again) and I had to relearn a lot, so it took me a while with some trial and error. Clara kept looking at it and saying "that doesn't look like Little Sheepy." She really seemed to be getting a bit frustrated with me :) The girls finished their paintings quicker than I and eventually got bored watching me so they went outside. While they were playing I finished painting Little Sheepy and was working on the others in the grouping. When Clara came in that time I showed her the painting and she immediately started jumping up and down so super excited yelling "It's Little Sheepy!!!" It made me feel good and it was so funny! It was like she was surprised and wasn't really sure fully what I was doing until it was done.

Sheepy was a great model, the painting is done and no paint actually got on her precious Little Sheepy---thank God!! :)







Little Sheep in posing position :)



There is Clara's artwork above mine. When all colors are added in mass it makes brown/orange :) Clara very much enjoyed this project!



Lucy's artwork is in the back. I will get a better picture when they are framed and up on the wall. Mike is going to make a frame for mine since you can't buy one that size. Plus we need to make it "destructo proof". If Clara can destroy it, she will. Anyway, Lucy painted a horse and cake. She was very intent and was very pleased with her finished product :) They both did a great job!