Novelty

This is for all the black sheep out there-

Celebrate your unique qualities,

even if the novelty of being yourself sets you slightly apart from the rest of the flock!

I'm going to stray over to Illustration Friday briefly- 

There's a lot of art over there that's not too baaad! ;o)

Money

Time to Change the Picture

Well folks, it's time to change the picture again. Gotta sneak another one in under the wire for Illustration Friday.

Speaking of time, they say that time is money. I can't say that's always the case... Just gotta love what we do, and hope someone else loves it as much as we think it's worth. 

This is a copy of a painting I did quite a few years ago for a former employer. It had some sort of sentiment added to it afterwards, as part of a brief detour into a new product category. I don't think this employer loved it as much as I did doing it. It gave me a much needed break from the daily grind of that artists' shuffle we accept as part of our natural gait, "One step forward, two steps back." With that particular employer, we often joked that it was followed by at least four steps back on average.

What kept me going there, during those dark days was the prospect of grabbing at that twisted and poisonous dangling carrot in the form of a regular paycheck...

You see, they also say that money is often the root of all evil, as well.

(So when's payday coming around again?)

;o)

Radio

10-4 Good Buddy

I don't know if it's hot where you are, but the past few days have been pretty warm here. I'm not complaining, it's just that by about dinnertime or so, the air has been getting sort of still and it becomes well, just a little harder to cool off. With the drought conditions we've been experiencing here, the local water authority has imposed water rationing measures. Watering is restricted to certain days and times of the day or evening. Our drought tolerant plants could really use a drink, and you know it's dry when even the cactus begins to show signs of stress. The forecasts are calling for even warmer temps in a few days. I can't explain why the throwback to the CB radio era lingo this week, but I think we are getting the message, loud and clear that there isn't much water to be had.  I tried to complete this one as fast as I could for Illustration Friday this week. The sun is beating down through my west window and the watercolors are drying up, too...Stay hydrated, my friends!

Metamorphosis

Labor Day

Last week, I mentioned that Labor Day weekend was coming up. For the most part, a holiday which was set aside to honor the efforts and achievements of the American work force has morphed into another reason to celebrate with a three day weekend, BBQs and getting the kids ready to go back to school. Not that I'm arguing with any of those points, mind you. But its arrival also opens the door to the holiday season, and the merchandise is already making its way to the shelves. Let's face it, we've passed the point of no return.

Once upon a time, traditions associated with this weekend also suggested that we were supposed to put away our white shoes until the spring, but really now- In southern California, it's too hard to even tell what season it is on any given day, especially lately. For that matter, I don't believe I've even owned a pair of white shoes since I got married quite a few years ago! That's what happens when we've been around for awhile. Nothing is ever the same as it used to be.

Recently, our beaches felt the effects of Hurricane Marie. Roaring up from the south, it brought no rain here, but pounded the coast with large waves, delivering an early holiday gift to experienced surfers and misfortune to those whose physical limits were no match. For those of us who chose to wait it out before venturing back to the shore, we were met with a rearranged beach, piles of cobbles that had been churned up littered the high tide line and as the ocean surged, rocks continued to tumble back and forth. As each wave receded, it could potentially expose an array of shells and some of my favorite glittery treasures, sea glass. 

If there is ever a positive effect of littering by human hands, let it be captured in these little fragments of colorful glass, tumbled into soft shapes that hardly hint at their once razor sharp edges. A tiny bit is like a metamorphosis this way, a souvenir from a trip to the beach that parallels changes that we'll meet as we hang around this planet for awhile. What was here yesterday isn't necessarily going to be here today and if it is, we might not always recognize it in its current form.

And so it goes. And it will continue to go. I'm going over to Illustration Friday now, and am hoping I can post this before next week's topic changes!