Description
May 2015
“Good heavens! Not another piece of art with rocks and stone!” the audience groaned as they took in Loulin’s latest upload to her gallery.
“Well… For reasons unknown I have quite a fondness for rocks and stones, I had this sketch lying around and I desperately needed something to do at work” she replied hesitantly. “And look. It’s not all rocks. There’s lanterns and cave paintings too” she added a little more defensively.
The audience stood back a little, seemingly satisfied. Then a petulant voice called out:
“What do you mean ‘at work’? Aren’t you supposed to do work when at work?”
Now it was Loulin’s turn to groan.
“Yes, at work. It that a problem?” she said rather than asked. Even the audience gave the protester an annoyed look. Completely unaware of it, it plunged forward.
“I think you will find there is no such clausal in your contract that allows this sort of activity. Have you spoken to your superior about this?”
Newcomer, no past experience, not to mention no brain or self-preservation. There is at least one every year, Loulin thought with strained patience, and then said: “Look, work at work is always priority one, but come mid-April, May and June there is less and less actual work to be done. So what do you do until vacation? You could either sit there, rolling your thumbs and staring into the wall, or get the hours passing by doing something creative.”
“But…”
“No buts, you idiot! The rocks stays. And so does painting at work. (Within reasons of course.) Now, if you don’t back off I’ll shove a brush where the sun doesn’t shine. And I’ll be sorrier for the brush than for you.”
The audience backed off more, managing to look worried and slightly disgusted at the same time. Bringing up the rear was the petulant protester who was squinting menacingly at Loulin, obviously thinking there was always a next time and that vengeance would be delivered swift and with no mercy. Loulin watched the audience leave with a smug smile.
Until next time then, she thought and went back to her paintings.
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Okay… I’ve got no clear explanation for that. I call for temporary insanity (but more likely boredom). 
Technical stuff: Watercolour, white acrylics, masking fluids
Size: A4
Time: hours unknown, probably a week in total. Sketched + painted at work.
Hehe, quite nice "allegory" story about using work time for more improving (and important) matters. But yeah, whatever the newcomers or superiors might think there are times at work when you really don't have anything reasonable to do. In my last job the summer times were usually just so. When almost all were at holidays, you really had nothing to do. I could have attached "how to use ladders" signs to walls but for some reason my simple Finnish mind didn't see the importance.
I have noticed before that you really seem to like making rock and stone textures. With this color scheme this cave looks rather nice and warm. A comforting place. Not like you pencil drawings which more often seem to depict more harsh and sharp environment. Perhaps it's also because there are not so many sharp edges or turns in this cave.