The Angry Whale

A few days ago I was on a painting expedition with my friend Mick. I had been doing yet another whale painting (part of an ongoing series I call "A Whale A Day") and having trouble making that day's subject matter (a waterskiing whale) look believeable. (Gee, why would that be hard to believe?!)

I was working out this problem with some sketches when, for whatever out-of -the-blue reason, I started telling him how angry I continued to be with a person I had once considered a friend, and how it seemed like every time I thought about the way she had "wronged" me, I just kept getting madder and madder.

Eventually I started paying attention to the expressions I was giving my water-skiing whales - and realized the whale I was working on when I was venting to Mick about my anger concerning my former friend, had an absolute expression of total anger on his face! (You might note it is the only unhappy whale in the whole pod of sketches!) Isn't that a scream?!!! I have to say, we howled a good long while over my Angry Whale!

(And now, for your amusement, my cathartic whale drawings...)

BTW - the whale on the top of the page is the Angry Whale; the one on the bottom is the one that I based the painting on...