Rats, mostly.

There have been times when I thought working on small pieces--like rats --kept me from doing more challenging and exciting work Possibly they did. Now I use the time to think, much the way I do while driving a familiar route. This can be a very good thing. Sometimes it allows me to solve problems, especially engineering or creative questions. Possibly this more relaxed approach allows me to slip in under the edge of a problem, before learned patterns obscure more innovative solutions. I believe this is true at least some of the time.

I did give in to the urge to paint some rats differently. I’ve considered having some of the rats cast in bronze, and wanted to see how they might look, so gave one each of the four authors a bronzed finish. They’re kind of fun actually. I can see them hanging round some leather-bound volumes-- and a humidor. Artist’s agents are often driven insane (I’m told by my agent) by many artist’s inability to repeat themselves consistently. I would tend to agree. I can’t help but change things up a little, now and again. So, sue me.


I did some work on Tiny Stories. We don’t have all the stories in yet, but it’s not too early for me to start thinking about images and design. I absolutely cannot make an illustration though, until I finish the last two paintings I must finish for another project for an author who threatens to loathe me and send bad karma directly into my brain forever should I mention a damned thing about it. To say the least, I am motivated to finish the project.

I have nearly finished a story about the wish-granting harlequin cat I wrote for “First Incident Concerning the Influence of Neil, Nearly. I forget the title, always, and must spell it out FICTION, Nearly to recall it Anyway, it’s a sort of scary/sweet thing about that cat and a girl and possibly I’ll get it polished and the sculpted part sculpted in time for Halloween. That would be fun. Early on I used to write short pieces with sculptures I made. I’d fold them up very small and put them somewhere in the sculpture, in a little niche or something. I wouldn’t mind doing that again.

I’m getting started a rat portrait for Ravyn, of her mother and three nieces. I’m working with a type of plastilina, and enjoying it, but I find the clay works better when I keep it in the refrigerator between.

Jane Frank is going to be celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Worlds of Wonder with a collector’s catalog which will likely be more like an art book with some of the best work of the gallery’s artists. It should be really nice. I’ll keep you informed. If you love the kinds of art you’ve seen there these years, you’ll likely want to get a copy. Not sure how many she’s going to have printed.

Finally, Orion and I are going to see a pediatric dental specialist tomorrow morning so I must turn off Boomerang and get him settled in. He seems quite unaffected by the whole tooth thing, though I’m afraid he’s eventually going to look like a little pirate. I gave him an Oreo earlier tonight, knowing it might not be the best idea I’ve had all day, but here we are. Sometimes you just want another rubber rat, even if you don’t need one. But, rubber rat or no, you still have to brush your teeth. ---ooookay , then.