Paint By Number Heaven

Last week I was out with Griffin picking up some varnish and fixative, but because I was lazy and didn't feel like going all the way into town to my artist supply store, we went to a local craft shop. They didn't have the exact varnish I wanted, but I did find a can of photo preservative designed with a home scrapbooker in mind, which is far less toxic and dangerous than my professional grade photo preservative, so I picked up a can of that too. As we were heading to the register, in my peripheral vision I noticed an entire aisle that was chock full of paint-by-number kits, so naturally, I just had to check them out up close and personal.

When I was a kid, I loved paint-by-numbers and did them all the time. My favorites were pictures of horses grazing in a field or running in a group. The first set I picked up this time was of a small group of horses standing around a meadow and I thought it might be fun to do it, but then I came to my senses and said to Griffin, "What the hell am I thinking? Painting a paint-by-number picture of horses- what am I? Ten?" and I put it back on the display. But then I saw a crumpled box on the floor under the display that was bigger than all the boxes of puppies and kittens and horses. It was a Winslow Homer painting, was quite large, and was in terrible condition. The box was torn open, the oil paints were separating and/or dried and there was at least a half-inch of dust covering the whole thing. There wasn't a price on it and there was no place on the display for it either. I took it to the register and the girl price-checked it for me: $19.00 despite its awful condition, so I passed on it.

But when I got home, I got to thinking. If there was this one masters' series painting then there had to be other ones, so I got online and sure enough found a few more that were available at a couple of art supply places. I went berserk when I found two van Goghs. I ordered them both: a sunflower painting and his bedroom in Arles. I was really, really hoping that someone somewhere had Starry Night, but alas it was not to be. The two I bought came this morning and I am thrilled with them. Part of me is thinking what a goof I am to be so excited about paint-by-numbers, but a bigger part of me can't wait to get started on them. These kits have changed a whole lot in the last thirty five years. Mine say they're for beginners, but they require mixing paint colors, sometimes more than two or three colors for a section, which I think is really cool. And if I use up too much of the paints and run out before I'm done, I obviously have all the colors I need for both paintings so the warning on the box not to mix too much doesn't matter a whit.

And in the end, I'm going to have both the fun of re-living a favorite childhood hobby and get two van Goghs (even if they are cheap paint-by-number van Goghs) out of it to boot. The smell of the paints in their little cups and the feel of the thin printed canvas board, when I opened my boxes this morning after the UPS man left, took me instantly back far, far too many years to count. I can't wait to get started. This is going to be a total gas.

Self Portrait, acrylic, gesso, graphite and charcoal on glued paper, 2009.