"SPCA Kitty"

   Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord panel
  6" x 8"
  2013

I recently attended a function at the Baltimore SPCA called "Wine and Wags."  I thought it might be a good opportunity to capture some new reference for the blog, as every breed imaginable would be there carousing the dog runs.  It actually was a little too much kinetic happiness, as the frenzied pups dashed back and forth and played with their new found friends.  What I did find was a much sadder tale inside the facility.  Staring back from cages and enclosures were the forlorn faces of people's abandoned pets looking for love. It broke my heart to see these sad little kitties and hear their cries pleading for affection. Don't get me wrong, they are being well cared for at the SPCA and it is a no kill facility so, with luck, they will soon find a new family to love them.  

"Oysters at the Hon Bar"

"Oysters at the Hon Bar"  Oil on panel  5" x 5"  2013

Jonathan Swift said: “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”  True enough, and I thank him and his bravery, for he paved the way for a life time of enjoyment and fascination with these delicious creatures.  Actually, it was my father who introduced me to oysters.  Dad worked for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company and was a Legionnaire as well.    It seemed to me growing up that, between September and April, he was always going to some sort of Bull and Oyster Roast.  I remember vividly the day he handed me a rough shell with this slimy grey glob and bade me try it.  At 10 years of age, I was up to the challenge, but with little guidance I just let it slip down without chewing and the whole culinary experience was lost on me.  "Like having a bad cold" was probably my response.  At 60, I have bushels under my belt. (Sadly, this is a literal statement.)

Today's Tuesday Tip - "Blue-Jean Scrap Paint Blotters"

When I am working on a painting, I find that having a blotter to wipe my brushes is quite handy.  Old tee shirt rags are all well and good and also near at hand, but being able to wipe off copious amounts of paint quickly and (somewhat) neatly is helpful to keeping the creative process flowing.  When I wear-out a pair of jeans, I dissect the garment into long squares of folded fabric which acts as a blotter for paint and turps. When one side is dirty I fold it over and over and over until there is no clean side left.  I have been known to use a folded paper towel on top if I am really throwing the paint around.