I have it on good authority that right after the squad car pulled away Anna went upstairs and read the girls a boisterous bedtime story. What a gal!
And speaking of the Queen of the Hatke Home, I started a portrait painting of Anna a couple weeks ago, which is something I’ve never done successfully before (not for lack of trying). Busy young mothers don’t make great models. They’re beautiful, to be sure, but they just don’t have a lot of time to sit sit still. This time however, we’ve carefully planned for a couple free hours each afternoon for me to paint.
It's been a real challenge to get back into painting shape. Like running a marathon after a year of living off doughnuts. But after eight long sessions the portrait is just beginning to take shape. I have high hopes.
The other helpful thing is that we’ve temporarily moved our bedroom to the cooler downstairs, which has allowed me to convert out upstairs bedroom, with its north-facing window, into a temporary painting studio.
And so, in the spirit of temporary painting studios I offer these photos, from our 2008 stay in Italy, of my very messy indoor and outdoor workspaces:
Pictures after the jump...
