FROM ASHES TO ART SHOWS (41)

I sighed with relief when I opened the envelope from the Gov’ment. The Teen’s passport has arrived!

One ginormous hurdle over!

Except it’s still not time to exhale.

I got an email apologizing for a backlog in processing MY passport… and the Friend is still waiting for his.

The trip is almost three weeks away. The passports and my art are the only things we really need. All the clothes, toiletries and other sundries are nice, but that’s what Harrods is for.

Just get me that passport!

I applied for a renewed passport three weeks before the Teen, under Expedited Processing. It was close but there was still a healthy cushion. That cushion is wearing thin.

Breathe in, picture the passport in my hand … feel the air of the plane’s AC on my hair… listen to the captain saying “Welcome aboard…”

::sigh::

Otherwise, everything else is progressing nicely. There’s still a TON of stuff to do for the trip, and another ton of stuff OUTSIDE the trip… but I’m much calmer about those things, because they’re under my control.

So, let’s keep focusing on the positives, shall we?

Thanks to amazing supporters like you, I’m about half-way to the fundraising goal.

(No matter what, amazing things are going to happen. I’ll keep working to pay off the trip long after it slips into memories. I’m just so grateful that all you lovely people are with me in this journey.)

I’m also (mostly) pleased with (some of) the new pieces I’ve made specifically for this show. I’ve been drawing A LOT. You haven’t seen much… not because it’s a secret, but mostly because they haven’t come up to gallery standards.

When I just draw to draw, everything comes out flat. When I just try to fill the gap in the collection, all I end up with is the gap.

I must pause………………………….

… and remember why I draw what I do.

The love between a parent and a child.

When I look at the best pictures so far, they all represent Princess Diana and her boys when they were young. The time of innocence, of safety, and of love.

I first went to London when Charles and Diana were getting married. I remember the glitch, the glamour … the pomp and circumstance ... the magic and the hope.

When I went back a few years later, William and Harry were already 5 and 3. The charm was a little faded, and there was a cloud of sadness that hovered over her. You could see the rain in her eyes.

I felt a connection to her because she was only 10 days older than me. I felt a kindredness that came from the kindness she showed to everyone else, while never getting any in return.

And now, as I prepare to go back, I think about how this was supposed to be her time to become Queen. She was supposed to stand there with her head held high and her loving husband and sons by her side.

It certainly wasn’t supposed to be this tangled web they’ve weaved.

So just like my art represents the lost innocence of my own son, I can now reach back into HER history, and bring those magical moments back to life next month.

………………………………

Thank you for being the positive light in my journey. I’m still offering products and portraits to those who want to come along on this journey. Donate here: https://gofund.me/f6cfc391 or Venmo @StuRosenArt. Every bit helps.


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