Bad Art I Am Compelled To Share

Friday, October 20, 2006

Ghost

This is my picture for Illustration Friday the theme is ghost. "Ghost" was painted with my new acrylics on a piece of canvas paper. This is probably the worst drawing I have ever made for IF and not at all what I had in mind when I started my picture, but after spending all afternoon trying to draw a cowboy hat and never getting it right, I decided to make a quick painting with my new art supplies. I hope the story makes up for the bad painting.

They say one out of every four people has seen a ghost. I've seen a few ghosts in my life. The first time I saw a ghost was in the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Of course, I now know the ghost I saw there wasn't real, but it scared me enough that I remember it happening and I was only 3 ½. The fright I experienced was especially satisfying for my Grand Father, who we called Grampa George.

The reason Grampa George was so elated by my fear was because in the early sixties he was part of the excavating crew that dug the hole where they built the Haunted Mansion. When the ride finally opened Grampa George paid for my brother, my mother and me to take a train from Eugene to Anaheim so we could experience the Haunted Mansion.

The only two things I remember about that trip are being scared by a ghost, while Grampa George laughed and mom buying me a candy bar on the train from a super friendly gentleman, who in my memory looks like Scatman Crothers.

Sadly, I don't remember too much about my Grand Father. I remember he loved the desert, he loved his cowboy hat, (The thing I spent the afternoon trying to draw.) and every time we came to visit he would make us pancakes.

Grampa George was also with me the second time I saw a ghost. Well, actually he was the ghost. I couldn't have been more than nine and I woke up early one morning, before the sun had even come up and Grampa George was standing next to my bed wearing his hat. I wondered what he was doing there since my mom had just been to his funeral a week earlier. I was about to ask, but before the question could come out he shushed me and told me I needed to get up and make some pancakes.

I went to the kitchen and started getting flour, milk and eggs together, to put in a bowl. I had no idea how to make pancakes, but I knew these were some of the key ingredients. The noise I was making woke up my mom. She came into the kitchen fuming.

"What are you doing up this early and why are you making such a big mess?" she asked, barley controlling the angry warble in her voice.

"I was trying to make pancakes," I said.

"But you don't even know how to make pancakes," she seethed.

"I know, but Grampa George thought it was a good idea."

"Grampa George told you?"

"Yeah, he woke me up and said I should make some pancakes."

My mom’s eyes welled up with tears and you could see the rage drain from her body. She grabbed me, squeezed me and then started sobbing. After about ten minutes she stopped shaking, wiped her eyes and said, "I think it's about time you learned how your granddad made pancakes."

Then my mother and I made the most delicious pancakes I have ever had.

This is a true story.

Have you ever seen a ghost? Have you left any love?

23 Comments:

  • BOO!

    Mwhahahahhaaa Love.

    By Blogger Anonymous, at 02:38  

  • I absolutely LOVE this ghost! And I always love a good ghost story. I beg and plead for ghosts to visit me but they never do... :(

    Love to you!!!! (and G.P. George)

    By Blogger Joy Eliz, at 04:19  

  • What a touching story. Paints are tricky, I haven't even begun to use them because they frighten me witless (or what wits I have left). Love.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 04:24  

  • Lovely story! I think I saw a ghost once, but maybe I just dreamed it. I was feeling very sad and I went to sleep early. I fell asleep but soon woke up and saw my late uncle standing next to my bed. I felt that he was there to make sure I was OK and would be with me until I felt better. I fell back to sleep and that was that. Dream or not, it made me feel safe.

    By Blogger BZ, at 04:59  

  • Great story! I love the ghost painting. My grandfather visited me too, 1 month after he died, but I was older, about 18. He stood in the doorway of my room and told me he was OK so I would stop worrying about him. Then I heard a door shut which woke me but no one else was up in the house. I also had a dream that he was in the living room singing and talking with my grandmother. I thought it would upset her to tell her about the dream the next morning so I didn't, but much to my surprise, when I got up she told me that SHE had a dream that Grandpa came to visit her and she was singing and talking with him!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 07:41  

  • Love your stories. This one was especially touching. Have fun with your acrylics!

    By Blogger JO, at 08:55  

  • anonymous: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :-P
    love

    joy eliz: Thanks!
    Have you tried hanging out in graveyards or haunted houses? :-)
    love

    detlef: Thanks.
    And how! Some many brushes doing so many different things. :-)
    love

    bz: Thanks!
    Cool story! It was a ghost I tell you! :-)
    love

    cbobak: Thanks. :-)
    WOW! I love your story too.
    love

    jo: Awww... (blush) Thanks.
    I will!
    love

    By Blogger The Unknown, at 12:37  

  • I don't think in my dreams count, however, a few times a year my Grandpa Bapa and I go to the movies together>>> I miss him so much>

    By Blogger Kim de Young, at 21:01  

  • Beautiful story. LOVE

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 21:36  

  • Ha ha! This might be my favorite illo from you yet! It has an almost folk art feel.

    By Blogger steve, at 07:30  

  • blogger is not being very cooperative these days. like steve; I think this is my favorite so far; folk art might be right.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 14:27  

  • Cool ghost painting...and neat story! ( ....and I always loved Scatman Crothers). LOVE

    By Blogger Janet, at 15:14  

  • I look at myself in the mirror every day... does it count? Mbwhahahahahah! I LOVE your story! Touching! :)
    Ghostly love!

    By Blogger merlinprincesse, at 20:57  

  • I woke up one night, and my husband's face was right next to me. It startled me, cuz for an instant I thought there was an intruder in the house.

    I yelled out and hit at the face, and it back away and disappeared. It was my husband's face, but in the instant I realized that it was too late.

    I hope he realized that I was startled, and not afraid of him.

    By Blogger Catnapping, at 21:15  

  • Great story, and I don't think that painting is bad at all. I like it a lot.
    LOVE

    By Blogger Mike, at 21:20  

  • That's such a wonderful story! And I also love your painting, even if you don't. It looks perfectly creepy and ragged, like a ghost who's been to hell and back and is here to tell the tale. As for ghost sightings...well, I've had three that I can recall right now. One was my grandmother, one was a jumby by the roadside when I lived in St. Thomas, and the other was something very, very evil that was walking down the road towards me one night. The last one is a long story, so I'm gonna save it...

    Keep painting! I love it!

    By Blogger carla, at 02:20  

  • Man, your illustration is freaky and I love it! Sccccaaaaarrrryyyy!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 20:00  

  • I wouldn't exactly call it a bad illustration. I think it's kind of nice. Now that you got some new paint we'll be looking forward to being treated to a new style.

    Your stories are heartfelt and quite entertaining. You have the gift of expressing yourself in the written word. Keep it up!

    By Blogger Robert McLaughlin, at 19:13  

  • Que Sexta-feira!
    Até sempre: david-santos "SÓVERDADES"

    By Blogger david santos, at 15:44  

  • scarecrow: Ha! Run faster! BWhahahahahahahahaha...
    love

    princess pepper cloud: Dreams count! :-)
    love

    whimspiration: :-)
    love

    steve: Thanks.
    Me folksy?! :-P
    love

    ascenderrisesabove: OK. Thanks! :-)
    love

    janet: Thanks and thanks.
    Me too. :-)
    love

    merlinprincesse: It counts! It counts! BWhahahahahaha... :-)
    love

    catnapping: I'm sure he knows. :-)
    love

    bobdylan8: Heh, heh. Thanks. :-)
    love

    carla: Thanks.
    Something evil! Scary! :-)
    love

    moverlow: Ha! Thanks.
    love

    robert mclaughlin: Thakns. (blush) and Thanks! :-)
    love

    david santos: É assim ghostly!
    Obrigado! :-)
    amor

    By Blogger The Unknown, at 23:05  

  • love this painting. one of my favorites for that topic.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:05  

  • To those who read this I myself did not believe God would allow this undiscribable encounter.
    Me and my friend were in her room & we came opon a noise behind us.
    it was like it was a different languange. we were so fearful that it would hurt us. So to those who mess around with spirits need to stop immedetly we know this from experience. Don't mess with God!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01:43  

  • liz (aka proxykitten): Aww... (blush) Thanks! :-)
    love

    anonymous: Lay off the mushrooms!
    love

    By Blogger The Unknown, at 17:27  

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