packing it in

Mark has taken a great job opportunity in Washington, D.C. which means, for the second time in my life, I'm packing up and preparing to leave my hometown of Sarasota, Florida for an as yet unknown period. The first time was when I went to Japan just after college, and I knew I'd be gone for at least a year, longer if I stayed on in my ALT job (which I did for another year) or got hitched to a Japanese bloke (which, obviously, I did not, though not for want of trying).

Now, it's off to D.C. and whatever adventures ensue. I'm not sure what I'll be doing up there, though I have vague plans. I'll be acting as hostess for any visiting friends, for one thing. There is a camouflage makeup course up there that sounds intriguing. I'll also continue painting and, ideally, I would like to turn this into a more business type thing rather than just something I do here and there. No panic, though, I'll be able to get settled there first and tour myself around.

At the moment I'm focusing on just packing our stuff up, most of which is books. So many books, for a pair of bookworms!

dearly departed

Last week, dear Aja, mentioned in the previous entry, shuffled off to Buffalo. He was nearly 13 and had a pretty good life for a dog: all the laundry he could ever want to sit on, all the carrots he wanted to eat, a nice shell driveway to scratch his butt on, and the adoration of several otherwise reasonable adult humans. No other dog touched me the way Aja did, and he will be deeply missed. My mom and brother buried him under my apartment window (some of the last soft soil left on our oak tree-addled property), so I can say Good Morning and Good Night to him every day. Thank you for visiting, beloved Aja.

terriers everywhere

One of my primary artistic muses, if I may use so highfalutin' a term, has been my mom's old Brussels Griffon Terrier, Aja, who we inherited from one of her friends who passed away. I really need to get a good picture of him, as he must be seen to be believed. He's about 12 years old and has lost most of his hair. He shambles around in the most outrageous bowlegged stance, front legs akimbo like some overpumped bodybuilder. He likes to sleep on a pile of blankets in the closet like a gremlin. Aja once frightened a delivery man. We had let Aja out to do his business and he was sitting hunched over in the driveway when the truck pulled up and my mom went out to collect Aja. Afterwards, the man driving the truck told my sister-in-law that when he drove up he saw something in the driveway, but he didn't know what it was. He said it looked kind of like a dog, but not quite, and he was in fact a bit scared to get out of the truck. This story amuses me to no end.

This makes Aja a wonderful source of inspiration for my strange little creatures. Odds are if something has a humorous underbite and/or big buggy eyes, it's based on Aja. He's pugnacious and stubborn, though not mean, and long after he passes he'll live on in my paintings and doodles.

This weekend I'm storing up some new inspiration as I dogsit for a friend. She has a pair of Scottish Terriers, Mae and Prima. Hanging around with them is like living with a pair of scampering mops, which I mean in the best possible way. I love to watch them scurry after their toys on their impossibly short legs, legs nearly hidden under their ruffles of fur so the girls seem to be propelled by something other than dog feet. Perhaps a dozen clawed feet like The Luggage in the Discworld novels. Their shaggy eyebrows make their faces incredibly expressive and give them a certain wise air. I foresee a number of new creatures springing from this visit.

I love terriers in general, and even the ones I don't find very appealing (like Bull Terriers, ew) can still lead to interesting creature designs. It's terriers everywhere! Ahhh!

Gettin' crackin'!

Oh boy! I'll have a table set up at the Atomic Holiday Bazaar in Sarasota, FL on Sunday December 13th! However, this means that I need to get crackin' on more paintings to sell. In a few days I'll be taking down the work that's at Fruitville Library. Some of that will be for sale at Atomic, but since I want to hang on to some originals I'll be painting some extra versions of the popular ones so that many different people can have the chance to take home the one they want.

Now, off to go finish the baby sea monster I'm working on!

Secret, Wonderful (2008)

Secret, Wonderful
(2008)

All little girls are secret and wonderful. I know I was, and am. You go to school, you do what you're supposed to, but alone in your room you have secret powers and wonderful adventures.

Art After Hours

Last Friday night was the Art After Hours opening at the Fruitville Library. My work is on display there, along with several other artists', until early October. I was aproached by Heather, who works in the youth department there and who is quite a fan of my work, to participate. Of course I said yes! This was the first time I was asked to participate in a show, and the opening was a success. We had over 70 people come through that night which, given the small scale of the event and the fact that it was on a Friday night at the library, was quite impressive. A number of my local friends as well as my family were there, and it really meant a lot to me to have so many come to look my funny little pictures. Thank you to everyone who came!

The Lonesome Diver (2007)

The Lonesome Diver

2007

The Lonesome Diver dives to escape the solitude of the shore, but is only reminded further of it below the waves. The Lonesome Diver wonders, "If jellyfish can have so many friends, why can't I?" This is one of my favorite little scenes: whimsical, cute, and a bit sad.