Friday, February 20, 2009

Kids...they'll kill ya!

Actually, I am pretty lucky in the kid department. My oldest, Riley (14), has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She does really well in school, while playing on her school soccer team, an indoor soccer team and being on facebook or texting 23 hours a day. Avery is the younger sister at 8, and is...well, let's just say she has no shortage of personality. She is also very smart, reading at a 5th grade level (and reading a lot), doing well in school in all subjects...and yet, she still finds time to argue with me about the tiniest things! Maybe she'll end up being a lawyer.

We've now been in the Savannah area going on 6 years now I think. This is the first time in my life I have been anywhere long enough (while having kids at the same time) to see changes occur over the long haul. I've seen Riley and her friends at the school she just left go from about age 10 to 15...it's been really interesting. I've never really felt so grounded and tied to a place, while at the same time wishing we were still living in San Diego. The school both girls were in (Avery is still there) is small enough that I know many of the kids there. You can see a group of quickie watercolor portraits of many of them done about 2 years ago here (including Riley and Avery). Great school, great bunch of kids and teachers.

To seque into my own art, I will show various portraits of the two girls below (as well as my other daughters, Rowan and Rahne who are now close to 18). You can have portraits done of your kids if you like...or anything else. Check my portrait site at www.kenmeyerjr.com/portraits for more samples.


Above are Rowan and Rahne at about 10 years old. Watercolor.


Here is Riley on Halloween when she was about 7 years old. Watercolor and acrylic and Riley actually helped on this one.


Here is Avery at about 6 in a fantasy setting, watercolor.


And here they are both together, about two years ago, acrylic and oil.

I've painted several other pieces of both girls and will likely do many more. They are most often presents for my wife, but also serve as a great document of the growth of these amazing little beings.

Whatever you do, don't ask Riley about the flying babies painting.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

These look great, Ken. I saw some of them on the walls at your house in SD...even the flying baby one! You are a very entertaining writer as well. Keep it up!

PS--I vote for the stricter teacher. That was how I got the discipline needed to compete in the marketplace. Kids these days get and have friends all over the place and don't need teachers to play that role. IMHO.

kenmeyerjr said...

Well, now you have really raised my curiosity, who is this...Kathy maybe?

Thanks for the advice on the teaching too.

Anonymous said...

LOL. You are WAY off on the ages of the kids in the paintings. It must be because you are such and old man! ;-) Rowan and Rahne were 2 in the first one. Riley was about 3 in the Halloween one, and Avery was about 5 as the butterfly faerie.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and that last anonymous is me, your wife. I'm not trying to be mysterious. I can just never remember my $%#$%$% passwords. I'm ready for thumbprint identification! Privacy, pfffffft. (JK)