Saturday, February 03, 2007

Ron A Roll

The above painting is called Mystic Garden II. It is a custom made watercolor painting created for a fellow Etsy member, creativesparkle. I traded this for a gorgeous story box she made. If you'd like a custom made painting (materials, colors, style, size of your choice), or would like to trade, please contact me at jtorrant@aol.com.


One time Emily was coming to visit, and left me a message from the road "Ron a roll, lady! Ron a roll!!!". I laughed out loud at her version of we're on a roll, until I remembered the actual rollerskating rink she was driving by on the side of the route 84 in Vernon called Ron-A-Roll. I love it..... what a name.

I've never been to Ron-A-Roll, but I loved going to the long gone Rollerworld that used to be in my hometown. I had my first official romantic moment with a boy at Rollerworld. We held hands and skated together. He waited until the last song, therefore missing all of the slow songs other kids "slow skated" to. I believe the song that he stole my heart to was Paradise City. "Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty".... I didn't get it nor did I care. I think I was twelve. I'm laughing right now, because I can still picture it all clear as day, now, of course, with a whole new perspective.

Emily had a rollerskating birthday party at a rink in Middletown. This was a few years ago, so it was seriously awesome to be a bunch of late twenty year olds through forty year olds eating pizza and sneakily spiked soda, and wizzing around the retro rink. The sweetheart that ran the place, and probably had for a long time, led the group through the hokey pokey, and all kinds of other fun, group roller skating games that we played when we were kids. It was a grown up giggle fest.

I'd like to say that life is like a rollerskating birthday party, but I don't want to sound like Forrest Gump.

Why am I talking about roller skating? Because ron a roll, baby, ron a roll.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOLOL What a wonderful story to go with a beautiful painting Jess! Rollerskating....awwww...the memories!!!!! Thanks for those Jess!

Cynthia said...

Beautiful painting!

And, love the backstory. My husband's name is Ron...I'm going to have to use this on him when he starts getting out of hand.

PS, I'm still interested in a collaboration if you are. If not, that's okay too.

Anonymous said...

hey, Jessica, i came by way of AW to Etsy to your site to your blog - long trip and very interesting. i like your work, especially the watercolors. i think you sell too cheap. the watercolors are so much lighter in tone/temperament than your acrylics. there's one piece i'm thinking about getting (4 Faces). i'd be interested in doing the ACOA? thing - those are card sized art, right? how do people display them? your work and your sites are very impressive. i might take some tips from you. i picture you having a wonderful studio space. and i also like critters - having 3 dogs, 2 cats and one iguana - all rescued. looking for a home for one of the dogs, hopefully soon. she takes up a lot of space. well, be well. you seem like a pretty upbeat person. thanks, gail (see discussion at AW).

Paula Manning-Lewis said...

Hi Jess,
LOVE this painting! Green is my favorite color. I have your paintings packed up and ready to ship first thing this morning. I was supposed to ship yesterday, but I didn't get everything packed in time for the post office.

Hope all is well with you!

Unknown said...

angela - thanks!

cynthia - hahaha! I love it, your Ron is on a roll. Of course I would LOVE to collaborate!

gail - thanks for making the trip! ACEOs are two and a half inches by three and a half inches in size - standard playing card size. A lot of collectors either keep them in books, or display them on mini easels (there are some cool artists out there just making funky ACEO easels - check Etsy for them) and I like to mat and frame them, but right now i'm very backed up with my collection. The size is the only rule with ACEOs, other than that, anything goes! Have fun creating, Gail!

Steppen Wolf said...

That painting is a classis. Even though I am not that much into abstract art, I did like it a lot!!