A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

I'd like you all to meet "The Monkey Head"-- a precious family artifact that we have been holding onto for generations. By my calculations, this little guy will be turning 40 this year, and that is cause for celebration. You see the reason my family (my sisters and me in particular) are so attached to "The Monkey Head" is that it was made by my dad in grade ten art class. And it is in fact, a self-portrait. From the individual lines of hair, the green thumbprint eyes, highlighter-yellow skin, paintbrush-poked breathing holes, and circular shoulders, to the strip of masking tape holding the whole head together, the resemblance is uncanny! It set a precedent for decades of amazing doodles drawn on church programs and paper tablecloths, and I still count my dad as one of my favourite artists. So Happy Birthday "Head", and thanks Pop, sure love ya!

Mads & Dads

I just came across a bunch of pictures from earlier this year, of Maddie wearing one of her dad's baby sweaters. I had intended to use them for a father's day post, so Eric, Happy Father's Day (oops)!

Eric in the sweater, with his dad, circa 1986:

Maddie in the sweater, with some chalk, circa April of this year:

(She even wrote her first word that day, "Tim", which I'm pretty sure is an FNL reference.)