I See a Queen

My sister found this picture on Instagram and sent it to me with the message, "This reminds me of Clair."

Self-perception is half the battle.

 I immediately fell in love with the photo. It says to me: Here is a little girl looking at herself, assessing, wondering, "Who am I?" And what she sees is Royalty. Specialness. A Queen.

I LOVE that! And I want it for Clair.

I assumed the art was a page in a beautifully-illustrated children's book. And I have been obsessed with finding this book, so I could read it to Clair, and so I could frame the page and put it on her wall.

Turns out it is not a book. (I found this out using Facebook. Again, I say that Facebook is awesome!) It is an oil painting by an artist, Frank Morrison. When I did a search for him, I was hoping he'd be some small-time talent, who would happily sell his creations to any gushing fan. But of course he would be somewhat famous...

From Frank Morrison's website:

Notable collections of Morrison’s art are owned by former New York City School Chancellor Rudy Crew, New Orleans Senator Gregory Tarver, renown actor/philanthropist Bill Cosby who prides himself on nurturing the talents of emerging African American artists, and Dr. Lorraine Hale among others. His work has enhanced the settings of televisions shows "Malcolm and Eddie", "New York Undercover", "Cosby" and has been a featured artist on the Home Shopping Network.

 

Morrison has received commissions from the irrepressible radio/TV commentator Tom Joyner, the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, and executed serially mounted musical scenes for the compact discs "Impulsively Ellington: A Tribute to Duke Ellington. and Down-to-the-Bone’s "Crazy Vibes and Things". His artwork has been displayed in prestigious locales shows such as "The National Black Fine Arts Show" produced by Jocelyn Wainwright, at the Savacou Gallery in Manhattan, and was honored and given a one-man show at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture sponsored by ESSENCE ART and Toyota.

He earnestly declares that he is rendered speechless with pride when he finds his work displayed adjacent to and in conjunction with Romare Bearden originals.

Romare Bearden?? Bill Cosby? Sheesh. I doubt I could even afford this charming and poignant painting, I See a Queen, but I went to the site anyway to scope it out.

Sadly, the website says it is "SOLD."

I emailed the site and asked about whether this means I really and truly can't buy it. But I haven't heard back yet.

In the meantime, I asked a family friend (a wonderful artist who used to date my brother) whether she thought she could do something similar. But now I'm having second thoughts about that. It seems unethical somehow -- asking an artist to essentially "copy" another artist's work.

I'll have to really think about it - and pray about it - before pulling the trigger on that one (that is, if she even agrees to do it).

So I don't know if Clair will ever see this piece hanging proudly in her room, reminding her how special and uncommon she is, and to value and protect her self-worth.

Which is why I'm putting it here on this site. At the very least, one day she'll read this and know that when I look at her (with her little arms akimbo, just like that!) I truly do see a Queen.

UPDATE: Mr. Morrison WILL commission that painting for me -- for $1,500!!
Well...back to the drawing board (pun intended).

The word of the day: Perspective

Yesterday, Lester took Dean to the doctor to see about the complaint he was having about his ear. We were especially vigilant because Michelle told us that Dean had a little waxy substance coming out of his ear when he woke up from his nap the day before.

This happened with Cary over the holiday break, if you recall, and it turned out -- after a few days of us thinking it was only ear wax -- he had a burst eardrum! So we weren't taking any chances with Dean.

Guess what? Dean has an ear infection. And of course he would! This is the Davis House of the Infirm is it not?

That makes us 3 for 3 for kids with ear infections this winter. And it also brings the total number of people on antibiotics in our house to 3 (Dean, Clair, me). If you count Michelle, who has also been taking antibiotics to help with her month-long sickness, that's 4 people!

And we're now on week 4 of me being sick -- although I have to say, I am feeling better finally, thank the good Lord in heaven (and also thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. And time, too, I suppose.)

Anyway, I got a good dose of perspective this week from Laura C. so I have resolved not to complain about the relatively minor things that are affecting our family's health.

Instead, I will take time to reflect on how amazingly amazing my children are. Because they are here for such a very short time, in the scheme of things, and tomorrow is never promised.

Even though I felt like shiznit, I took the boys to the playground on Sunday, because it was such a nice day. We ate snacks and played for close to two hours. They loved it!

 

Here they are playing "train." Dean is the "tunductor." At one point, Cary looked at the letters on the side of this toy and said, "B. Eight. O. Spells 'train.'" I told him he was absolutely correct.

At some point on Sunday night, while I was fixing dinner and Lester was "watching" the kids in the basement, and also the football game, Dean brought me my cell phone, which had been disabled. Why was it disabled? Because Dean had been playing with it -- a No-No! -- and iPhone shut him down!

Later on, I looked through my photos and found that my Dean is an incredible artist. Check out these two selfies he took -- somehow using my Hipstamatic program.

The perspective on those selfies just grabs me. Who is that little boy? What is he thinking? What does he want out of life? Where will he end up in the future?

Anyway, he also somehow got into a drawing app I have on my phone for kids, created an abstract - and then took a screen shot of it.

What does it mean, Dean? What does it MEAN?!

I honestly have no idea how he was able to do all this. But one day, when my child's artwork and photography is hanging up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, don't say I didn't tell you.

And, just for good measure, here's a picture of  my darling Clair -- without her hair standing up all over her head.  For a kid with an ear infection and RSV, she is really super pleasant. And cute, too.

Hello lovely!

And, since I am in supreme children-appreciation mode, and want to savor all my wonderful memories with them, here is a video of the boys when we were watching the Inaugural parade on Monday, and they got inspired by the marching bands to dance along. I hadn't intended to post this, because the playroom looks such a mess. (Isn't that silly?) I mean, who the hell cares? Having kids is messy sometimes, and in our house, more often than not. So here they are, the marching, dancing Barack Obama-loving Davis boys:

I was feeling like total crap by the end of the day Monday, and I was also feeling just a wee bit jealous of all the people who got to go to the Inauguration and feel -- in person -- the simultaneous solemnity and excitement of the day.

But in retrospect, I am so glad I got to spend a few minutes in the messy basement playroom, with my children, enjoying them as they jumped and danced and marched and laughed. These are the moments that give meaning to my life.

Perspective = Realizing I wouldn't trade this time with them for anything in the world.