Caya and Leo

   This has been such a hectic week!  I did start a new painting loosely based on my daughter. She asked for a painting of a mermaid- we will see how it goes   I posted my first pass at her face above.  The painting will be 10" x 20".  I just love that size canvas.  It is small enough that I can complete a painting quickly- and such a lovely proportion.  I love to begin my paintings with a black canvas. There is something about the metaphor of bringing something out of darkness that appeals to me.   I feel like it adds a level of drama that I can't always get when I start with a white canvas.  Does anyone else feel that way?
   On an interesting note, this week I found out quite by chance on the internet, that my grandfather's name was Olegario and his nickname was "Lio".  I never knew my grandfather- to be quite honest,  I didn't even know his name.  He died before I was born.    What is so interesting about this is that my son's name is Leo.  What is even more interesting is that my daughter's name is Caya (named after my grandmother, Cayetana).  So my children are named Caya and Leo.. and my mother's parents were named Cayetana and Lio.  Weird.  What is also odd, is that my mother had completely forgotten that her father's nickname was Lio.  Anyway, it made me feel very connected to my ancestry on some psychic cosmic kind of level.  Okay... I better get to bed.  My 4:00 am feeding is just around the corner!