Happy Birthday, Marc!
In the weeks leading to Marc’s 33rd birthday on Friday, 28 November, I needed to come up with a b-day gift idea for the special man in my life. I decided to do a nude painting of myself, well, it’s not really a nude, call it a nude back painting.
Painting has always been a hobby and I have done fabric painting, acrylics on paper over the past 10 years. Stuff that ended up, to my embarrassment on the wall in my mom’s bedroom, some as scatter cushions on a colleague’s sofa and other stuff rolled up in a box somewhere in the garage. I don’t exactly fancy myself an "artist" but I do think I have a creative side that I tend to use from time to time until I sadly box it up for a couple of months (years). This interest flared up in India where I did a couple of water colour paintings. Since we arrived in Jakarta I have been toying with the idea of going for art classes to actually pursue it as a possible full time rather than part time hobby.
I have a South African friend, Emily that is a very talented artist and I asked her to help me with Marc’s b-day project. I wanted to do something a little “bigger”, good enough to actually hang on the wall. So with Em’s guidance and artistic supervision I did my first portrait in acrylics on canvas, which I have to say I am rather pleased with. Not bad for my first attempt!
This project has sparked an even bigger interest in art and I look forward to actually learning and hopefully improve my skills when I enroll in art classes in the New Year.
Em, thanks for all the great tips and tricks and I look forward to you being my unofficial art teacher and I'm sure I'll learn a lot from you in the future
For enquiries about Emily’s work and portrait commissions, contact: emily.stainer@gmail.com
A birthday is not a birthday without presents, cake and b-day celebrations with friends.
Our maid, Siti is so sweet. When I got home on Thursday there was a gift bag for Marc on the kitchen counter. To: Marc Beuthe From: Siti
A gift box with coffee, two little funny stuffed dogs (not to sure about their purpose).
I still need to translate the Bahasa but I think it has something to do with wishing him success.
My friend Jav kindly offered to help me bake a birthday, Marble Cake. Her offer was greatly appreciated as I am seriously a useless baker. So bad that even with Jav by my side; it still flopped. And no, Jav don’t blame yourself…it’s my fault for filling the cake tin to the top. What was I thinking…of course it has to raise and where did I think it was going to go but over the sides, LOL ;-) I clearly wasn’t thinking after the few glasses of Champagne I had at Simon’s b-day lunch.
Not all was lost. We manage to salvage the centre, and though it burnt a bit and sunk in, it still tasted good ;-)
The very tasty but sad looking birthday cake
After the little Cake ceremony, Marc and I went for dinner at our favorite German restaurant in Kemang, Die Stube followed by drinks with some of our friends and Marc’s team at a very trendy resto/bar in Kuninghan, Loewy.
Some of the team members
On Saturday we continued the b-day celebrations at an English pub in Kemang, Eastern Promise where we spent the evening playing darts and pool. 
It was a fun evening, that Marc says reminded him of his youth.
Shaun, Emily and Ryan
Marc, Viani, Armid, Shaun and ryan trying their hand at darts
Jav, Emily, Pascale and I were onlookers until we decided to give it ago ourselves
2 comments:
You have a wonderful and interesting blog!
You have been and lived in some fantastic places.
Thanks Jen, I have actaully been on your blog as well ;-)
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