The Lion of March

People often remark my hair resembles the mane of a lion.

March came in like a lion for most of the country.  Big Rich and I were in Banff, Alberta, Canada, for our annual ski vacation on March 1^st.  Although the day was sunny and bright it was deceptively cold at a frigid -35F. We met muster, decked out in the appropriate sub-arctic wardrobe and accessories and forged our way through a variety of outdoor pursuits, in spite of the elements.   Upon our return to Los Angeles, we were grateful for warmer weather, but by far, not the usual warm March Southern California climate to which we are accustomed.   It was rainy, cool and windy for the remainder of the month.  Likewise, with our weekend excursions to our place in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, the weather was nothing but chilly (even in this Canadian expat’s opinion). 

The lion of March brought tubulance in other ways, too. Both Big Rich and I were down for days with a respiratory virus.   In the midst of this my agent kept calling with new auditions.  Things had been slow in January and February and I wasn’t about to miss an audition.  Pulling myself together I managed to get to all my auditions and even booked several jobs.  The lion of March brought a frenzy of work and opportunity, after each I would crash with exhaustion.  The weekends would come and I’d swear this would be the one where I would get to my painting.  Before I knew it, the final weekend in March had arrived and I had barely etched out the beginning of a painting.   I knew in my mind what I wanted to do, and of course it was something a bit farfetched. Being pressed for time, I knew I couldn’t pull it together in a few days.  I wanted to meet the March deadline, but how could it happen?

It was Big Rich, with his voice of reason who said, “Barbie, what about the lion?  Why don’t you bring him to life?”   Staring me straight in the face, was the solution- an unfinished painting I had started a few years ago, a painting of a lion that was simply waiting to be dusted off and offered a chance to come to life! The “Lion of March” it would be.

I started the painting in the pursuit of creating a wild animal-something I had never tackled before.  I turned to You Tube for guidance and stumbled upon a tutorial by The Art Sherpa. I am not really sure why I never finished the painting, but it was obvious that now was the time!

I was panicking about how I was going to get a painting done for March.  I desperately wanted to meet my goal.  I didn’t want to succumb to another excuse not to produce a product.  I was getting frantic. The lion in me was roaring with frustration! Little did I know the solution was within arm’s reach the whole time.  (You can imagine all the fun Ursula, my inner critic, was having!) Let me introduce Mr Lion:

March was a beast of a month, but it did bring the gift of opportunity, personified by the power, strength and grace of Mr. Lion. When the final brushstroke was done, His Majesty looked me square in the eye and asked, “What took you so long?”