Friday, January 3, 2014

Girl in the Crushed Felt Hat

So in my mind's eye this girl has rescued her grandfather's old green felt hat from the garbage because she always pictures him wearing it.
Over time the brim has become floppy and the hat misshapen but with the addition of a pink flower she feels beautiful honoring his memory.
Are you a hat person?   
Hats scare me because they make people look at you and I am the type of person that does not like to draw attention to herself in public.  
A hat seems to bring with it a certain responsibility that I'm not sure that I'm up to - however, one weekend several years ago we were visiting Charleston with my parents.  My mom talked me into purchasing a floppy straw hat that I happily wore all day.  
It was super cute and I have lots of pics of me wearing it that day but I've never worn it again.  Perhaps the anonymity of being where nobody knew me allowed me to relax and step out of my box.
Linking to Paint Party Friday,

23 comments:

Karla Lawrence said...

Love it! I think hats are so fun :-)
Happy PPF!

Karla/ kmmsart.com

Karla Lawrence said...

Love it! I think hats are so fun :-)
Happy PPF!

Karla/ kmmsart.com

alarmcat said...

I'm like you…i always wanted to be a "hat person" but always felt awkward wearing one. Maybe one day I'll find THE hat.

I do have a big floppy garden hat but only wear it in my backyard…no one sees me there!

Maria Medeiros said...

Really lovely! Happy New Year!

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

She is so pretty with those sweet freckles and beautiful auburn colored hair. Happy New Year!

Giggles said...

You are the second person to fear wearing hats on ppf....I think you are inspiring a post!! Your girl is adorable and the hat does look like felt...very nice texture!! Her expression in the second to last photo seems slightly perturbed....perhaps someone criticized her grandfathers hat!! The last photo seems like she has resigned herself not to care what others think....love the process...interesting how those expressions evolved!! Amazing work!!

Hugs Giggles

Michelle said...

Such a gorgeous girl. I love her freckles. :-) You should wear that floppy straw hat again Michelle and see what happens. ;-)

Jez said...

I enjoyed watching her develop into the sophisticated hat lady - I like her freckles. I always think that noses are very difficult to paint, but hers is perfect, and I like her freckles.
No, I can't wear hats, my head gets too hot and even after a short while my naturally curly hair is always flattened. So I am sometimes entranced by a gorgeous hat and would love to be able to wear one.

Faye said...

Gorgeous, Michelle. I love how you have shown us the steps you took to have the finished art piece. I love hats and still wear them when I can.

www.dorissdaughter.com said...

I love your girl and the progression pictures, I like the freckles which, I think, add character. As for hats, some people wear hats as part of a disguise, so they are not so noticeable, a lot of celebs wear them when they go about their daily business. When I see someone wearing a hat that catches my eye I look at the hat but never really notice the person wearing it. So I would say If you like it, wear it!

Cindy D. said...

Love the freckles! And such a fun and funny hat. So sweet!

manomij said...

I would love to see a photo of you with that Paper hat. Happy Paper Saturdays. :)

SLScheibe said...

She's beautiful! And I love the story too! Very sweet. I have good memories of my grandfather and also have his hat, lol. Love to see your WIPs. Always neat to see!

Janet said...

She looks beautiful in the hat!

I love hats but seldom wear them. I have a couple that I keep for bad hair days but usually hats make my head too warm. My dad always wore a hat. I wish I could find some old fedoras...I'd wear those.

DVArtist said...

This is a great painting. Her freckles are perfect. The hat... Yeahhhh I wear a hat most days and I would wear this one.
Great job.
Nicole/Beadwright

Kim Henkel Creations said...

Love your hat girl. She looks very comfortable in her hat. I too am not a hat person, although I got a new toque that I have been wearing tons over the holidays, even in the house!

Kimberly Jones said...

Beautiful Michelle! I love her eyes and the hat is so pretty! I too fear the hat because I like to keep a low profile. But I always admire anyone daring enough to wear them! Your artwork just keeps getting more and more lovely!

jen said...

She is lovely!
Hats let you hide bad hair & gray grow out! (I'm sure you haven't had either of those, but let me tell you....)
Wear the straw hat!

ann @ studiohyde said...

Lovely painting - nice to see the work in progress stages :-)

Studio Kaufmann said...

Beautiful picture and I love her floppy hat belonging to her granddad. I usually wear really hideous hats just to keep warm and people look at me for all the wrong reasons. Happy PPF

Karen M said...

Beautiful, and so interesting to see the progression. Grandfathers are important. My college age daughter is forever raiding her grandfather's closet!

pauline said...

YAY! you were the chosen one on PPF!! ;-)
i'm a bit late, but love that you posted the stages of this... and of course, love the story about the hat and your grandfather's memory. Btw Michelle, got my 2 coloring books from Doodlers Anonymous and i was SO proud to show my son your illustration!! BRAVO, once again! Happy New Year, my friend. xox

Laney said...

Loved the story behind your girl! Thanks for sharing your process pics, too. Happy PPF!