Sunday, January 5, 2014

MRS BUTTERWORTH'S DATE

Diane Mannion, MRS BUTTERWORTH'S DATE, 3.5"x2.5" oil on linen/mounted, 2014 Snippet #6, #6/30 Paintings in 30 Days.

 MRS BUTTERWORTH'S DATE

Mrs B informed me her name is spelled, Butterworth... not Buttersworth as I had been spelling it.  Ack!  Artists aren't good with spelling or math.  Sorry all.
 And her first name is Joy!  Who knew? 
"Mrs B... would you tilt your head up a bit, please?" I asked, squinting to sketch her angles and curves.  "And please stop wiggling."

Mrs Butterworth was totally distracted this morning, constantly looking down at her cell phone and texting.  (How she manages to do that without thumbs is astonishing, a task I find difficult even with thumbs.)

During a break, she appeared both crazed and reflective at the same time.

"So what's up?"  I asked.

"Think I'm in love," she said.  Her chubby cheeks shined, her eyes sparkled.

"Really?" I asked, in disbelief.  Aside from a night in the slammer, she'd been in my studio for years.  "Where'd you meet him?"

"Online," she said, nervously checking her cell again, invisible thumbs twitching.

"How... interesting," I said.

"He's on his way across the E Bay right now," she said.  "Wants to meet me for breakfast at IHOP."

I've heard of mail-order brides, but grooms?  "What's his name?" I asked.

"Planter," she said, tilting at a dangerous angle and sparkling with joy (or as joyful as this surly Joy could possibly be).  "His name is Mr. Planter Peanut."

"Hope you don't have a peanut allergy," I said.
She rolled her eyes (or lack thereof) and turned to face the wall.
Will be taking a break from Mrs B while she gets her hair and nails done for the big date.  But she'll return soon... hopefully with her new beau in tow.  Heard he's cobalt blue, can't wait to paint him!




8 comments:

Veronica El-Dayisty said...

Love your butterworts series Diane. Love the brushwork. You are such a talent!

Linda Popple said...

Mrs. Butterworth has a lot of action going on. Hope Mr. Butterworth is out of the picture. Looking forward to her next adventure! :)
Nice snippets!!

Diane Mannion said...

Thank you for your sweet comment, Veronica!

Diane Mannion said...

Linda, FUNNY! Hadn't given a thought about poor old Mr Butterworth. There's a rumor that he slipped on some butter and fell into a waffle iron... but that was many years before Mrs B came to live with me. She's quite tight lipped about the whole tragedy. Has remained a dedicated and miserable widow until Mr Peanut, although she hasn't met him yet.

Renee Brennan said...

A talented painter and comedian!! Love it! Thanks for the laugh :)

Diane Mannion said...

So glad you enjoyed Mrs Butterworth, Renee. Thank you!

Unknown said...

Loved the painting and the story!

Diane Mannion said...

Thanks Sandra, lots of fun to write and paint.