Steve Martin is Adorable

The Seattle SugarPlum Elves have been picking up a few tips from Steve Martin himself. Since the Portland Elves are learning some moves from Seattle, we're reviewing some old footage from movie classics. What we've learned, aside from some great dances and songs is that Steve Martin is completely adorable. Exhibit A from Three Amigos:



Exhibit B from The Jerk:

My Kitty Died Last Christmas

...It was kind of a horrific experience. We thought she had a urinary tract infection because she kept peeing on the floor uncontrollably. After medicating her for weeks on anti-biotics, I was sitting on my computer and I saw her piss right near the litter box. She looked completely tense and just let out a tiny bit. I realized something strange was going on, it looked like she was having a seizure. My theory was confirmed as they progressively got worse throughout the day. I could not stand to watch her suffer. It seemed like with each seizure she was losing her brain. She seemed out of it and unable to balance. I felt certain that we needed to put her down.

When we were in the vet's office, he offered us alternatives. We could medicate her without testing and see if it helped, we could get a $150 test done to rule out poison, or we could continue as planned to put her down. The decision was too hard to make in 1 hour, which was the time we had until the vet closed for the day. So, we took the medication, Quaaludes, and tried to keep her sedated for 24 hours. It was the longest 24 hours ever. Not only did the seizures continue and get progressively worse, but the medication made her even more drowsy and braindead. She didn't even know who we were. I can't go into anymore detail than that, it's all just a nightmare that brings me to tears to think about.

The next chance we got, we took her to the humane society, where they kept her alive and drugged her until they determined in a matter of days that she was unable to be saved and put her down. It's good to know that she's finally at peace but it's taken us awhile to heal from the experience. I don't usually paint just cats, but it helped me to immortalize her in some way.

Gemini

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Didn't it Rain

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is my new hero. This song has been in my head since it started raining yesterday.

Birds in Flight

I did these late last year, I believe, and the whole point was to paint little stuff that I could sell for cheap... but here I am hoarding them. Birds are my obsession right now. Until I can sufficiently dive into their existence, it's impossible to let these little bursts of spirit go. They are all 6"x6" and they vibe off each other in this really nice way, so that you could place them in any hanging configuration and have them be playing off each other. Eventually, I'll sell them for less than $50 a piece. For now, they're living the good life on a shelf in my art corner where I can covet them (weirdo! yes, definitely.).

Fantasy Diptych

This started as a magazine collage, using mostly National Geographics. The collage was turned into a painting and the second painting is a continuance of the first. A bit of storytelling seems to have come out. It's a dream of mine to write an animated movie and these images sent my mind into some uncharted territory:


Oils 24"x36"

Oils 24"x18"