Swan Lake in Winter

Here's a story about how new ideas come about for me.  The other day I watched this very funny Buzzfeed video on YouTube.  Go ahead and watch it, I'll wait.

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Good one, yeah?  The first thing that went through my mind was "oh, I know how I would paint that tutu." Aaaaaaaand we're off to the races.  Here's the sketch:

It came out pretty much exactly the way I saw it in my head.  The first real painting didn't quite cut it, but it's not terrible:

I like the second one better:

There may be a series - I did a few sketches with a Sharpie on scraps of paper and there is potential. And I may be the only one who would get the hilarity behind calling the series Swan Lake in Winter.

So there you go, that should be the end of how a video of bodybuilders trying ballet inspired a painting, but this story has a surprise chapter.  While I was enjoying the best part of the Most Wonderful Day of the Year today - that being an extra hour of lying in bed this morning - it suddenly occurred to me that these paintings take me back to my roots.  Not my ballerina roots, because I'd have to go back to a previous reincarnation looking for that, but back eight or nine years to my early painting days.  Anyone remember this self-portrait?  It's my superhero alter ego, and her name is Ping Pow:

Maybe she needs a pink tutu.