Angst on Parade!

Have I ever mentioned that The Boy is an artist?  It's true - he does amazing pen-and-ink drawings and has a few different comic book ideas in the works.  The fact that he "gets" my creative side is a big factor in our being together, for me.  Not the biggest factor - there are a million other reasons why I love him - but yeah, the art thing is pretty big for me.  And I'm pretty sure he feels the same way.

I go through periods of creative drought occasionally - times when I'm just not motivated to paint.  These droughts have been happening for my entire life, and they're always temporary, but every single time it throws me into a fatalistic tailspin: "Well, that's it, the gift is gone. I've used up all my ideas FOREVER.  Party's over.  Time to pack it in."  And then a few weeks later a new idea for a painting hits me and I get all excited and everything's good again.

Anyhoo, a while back I had a horrible epiphany: "Holy crap, if I ever do run out of ideas forever, The Boy might not want to be with me anymore!!!"  I mean...if art was a common interest and illuminating force that brought us together, and suddenly my light went out permanently...then what?

This line of thought made an image pop into my head, and I've finally gotten around to painting it:

See, this pretty faun is wondering whether her lover wants her or is simply drawn to the novelty of her being all supernatural and stuff.  Symbolism!

An amusing plot twist: the faun in the picture symbolizes me but looks like The Boy*, and the man in the picture symbolizes The Boy but is actually a masculinized version of me.  I based this whole composition on a photo I have of him lying on my chest.

I might pick at the painting a little more later - The Boy hasn't seen it yet and when he does he'll almost certainly have suggestions for tweaks** - but I think it's basically done, and I'm pretty happy with it.


*There is no possible way I could draw an elfin or faunlike creature and not base it on The Boy.  He has the market cornered on otherworldly beauty, srsly.

**This is the double-edged sword of living with a fellow artist.  I show him a new piece and he tilts his head and goes "Hmmmmm...." and then there's a moment of contemplative silence during which I kind of want to yell "JUST TELL ME IT'S GOOD DAMMIT."  But his suggestions are always excellent.