A small prayer

A while back, I got an idea for a story about a devotee, complete with a prayer woven through it. As the story progresses, we find out exactly what said devotee will do for his gods. Maybe the story will be ready to be born...someday.

Two lines, "Invisible to mortal eyes, let my cry come unto you," I can't claim but I also don't remember the source of them.

Here then, is my small devotional effort:

Prayer

Oh Lord,
Invisible to mortal eyes
Let my cry come unto you.

Take, O Lord,
My hands and
use them as you will.

Take, O Lord,
My mouth and
speak your wisdom.

Take, O Lord,
My heart, My mind
and my will.

Fill my soul, O Lord
Grant me sweet oblivion.

IA! IA!
Hear me,
O Priest of the Elder Ones!

IA! IA!
CTHULHU F'TAHGN!

Wake.


(What? Who'd you think it was going to be for? ;-) )

(Mostly) Finished Paintings...

First off, a declaration: it's 11:44 p.m. and it's still hot. It's still humid. Who needs hell when you have summer in the South?

Now on to the paintings.

Here's Red, 7"x9" oil on birch:

I like the way this one turned out but...that hand! It gave me fits! I ended setting up a small mirror and holding a sketchpad to get the right position. Now that I look at it, I may have to tinker with the color a bit...or maybe I'll just leave it alone so I don't mess it up.

Music Box, 5"x8", oil on birch:

I really like the shape the dancer's body makes, although I will tinker with her face and arm a bit more. I just don't like that "daub" of a mouth and she's kind of muddy looking to me. Perhaps it needs a few more highlights too.

The Bee, 3.5"x4" (more or less), oil on birch:

This is one of those "end of the day" paintings I did just for myself. I found a dead carpenter bee on the walkway in front of the house and I had to immortalize it. I love my bee.

Now that I look at them together, I think it's pretty obvious when I paint from life and when I paint something purely from my head. The life (well, death) one is more painterly.

Crop Circle Discovered in Sumner County?

Joannie Snigglebotham, Sumner County News staff writer

Residents of upper Sumner County had a mystery on their hands last Wednesday morning. A strange symbol appeared in a slightly overgrown grass pasture, resembling what is popularly known as a crop circle.

Word about the circle got out early, with people parking along the road to see it. Since the pasture was on a slight incline, many stood on the roofs of their cars in order to get a better look. Local authorities were contacted after the crowd began to get out of control late in morning and several people ignored the posted no trespassing signs. They tramped across the field to get a closer look.

By Wednesday afternoon, speculation was running rampant in this community. "Aw. ain't no mystery to that thing at all," said local resident Ira Smith. "It's just some damn kids playing a prank, that's all." Another resident, Vera Green, didn't know what to think. "It's just strange, isn't it? It just appeared overnight. Nothing like that's ever happened here before."

Unfortunately, the crop circle was destroyed before researchers could arrive to study it. The owner of the field, who did not want to be identified, mowed the field after the crowd of onlookers began trampling the grass and littering. Terry Onsmore, of the Sumner County chapter UFOrce, was allowed to enter the field after the field was mowed to take as many readings and samples as possible. While the results of the soil and plant samples will not be available for several weeks, magnetic readings taken at the site were promising.

"There were several places in the field where the needle nearly went off the scale," said Terry. "I came into this project convinced it was a complete hoax, not I'm not so sure. Readings of this kind are extremely hard to fake. What the heck happened out here?"

No one seems to know the answer to that question. There were apparently no strange sounds or lights the night before. This was verified by Azra, who lives across from the field. "I was working on a deadline," she said. "So I was up nearly all night to finish. I went out several times to take a break and look at the night sky. I didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

Crop circles are relatively rare in the United States. They are most often seen in Great Britain and depicting fanciful designs. Many who study crop circles believe the crop circles contain messages vital to the human race, although there is no credible evidence of that message being understood at this time.

In progress: Red

Okay, I guess I lied. Even though I feel my brain tripping merrily off on its very own little roadtrip, I'll ramble a bit about Red Riding Hood.

Even though this painting isn't finished yet, I wanted to go ahead and post it. I consider this a "sister" piece to the werewolf painting in my icon. The entry about Little Red Riding Hood on that paragon of knowledge, Wikipedia, mentions the story may have come about around the same time the werewolf trials were going on. (Who knew there were even such a thing as werewolf trials in the Middle Ages?)


Well, that's all I needed to spark this idea. The other painting is based on the old German legend that says witches would plant tomatoes in their gardens in order to draw werewolves to them. So...who said the wolf in the woods was just a wolf? Why does Red here have a wolf mask? Is she trying to fool the wolf and sneak past him to Grandma's house? Is she really a wolf herself, wearing a human mask and carrying a second wolf one? Is she hunting herself or is she just smug because she's getting away with the ruse?

Good questions, huh? I rather like them. I'll let you come up with your own answers, though.

Okay, I think I'm done for real this time. I'll post Red again when it's finished.

Oh yeah...btw, I didn't forget to put in the hand that's supposed to be holding the mask. I just haven't gotten it where I like it yet. She's not really that orange either. I guess all that red is messing with the scanner a bit.

In progress: Freya

Click the graphic to see a bigger version.

Freya is interesting and complex. She is a warrior, riding her boar into battle. As leader of the Valkyries, she is a psychopomp who claims half the fallen dead and takes them to her hall, Sessrumnir. She is a witch, who taught women the art of seider, prophesy and magic.

Of course, there is that other side of her. Lusty, sensual, beautiful. There's no hangups for this girl, she'll willingly use whatever skills she needs to in order to get what she wants. Just look what she did with (to?) those dwarves for the Brísingamen.

When I began this sketch, I wanted to reflect a bit of her complexity. It also seems natural, after facing so much death, to want to reaffirm life. Here she is, in the wood, her warrior's armor is shed, except for her Valkyrie helm by her side (minus the wings, which I haven't gotten around to putting in yet.) She is now wearing a traditional Norse dress and the Brisingmen is around her neck. Eventually, somewhere in the background will be Bygul ("Bee Gold" or Honey) and Tregul ("Tree Gold" or Amber), her two grey cats.

Of course, one of my own cats couldn't let this be without making his own mark so just ignore the spot there in the upper part of the sketch. I still haven't figured out whether it means, "This is worthy. I claim it as mine" or "This is what I think of you and your pathetic scribblings."

I'm not sure I really want to know.

(I also have a few more sketches and a painting in progress to post but I'll do it tomorrow. My brain is nearly gone at the moment.)

What?! No way!

There is no way it's been nearly a year since I updated this thing. Good god.

:::insert _headdesk_ here:::

Praying for the gods?

A while back, Beliefnet put up this article: Praying for Satan's Soul. In The Laughter of Aphrodite, Carol Christ writes about the effect an Elie Wiesel story had on her, where the main character prayed for the soul of God for letting the Holocaust happen.

It's common practice for who pray to pray to the gods but what about praying for the gods? Would it actually need to be done? What would the prayers be for? Continued well being? A change of heart, like those I mentioned above? A good pair of socks? (or was that Dumbledore?)

What do you think?

As the Tomato Turns...

I'm kind of glad the last week and a half is over, mainly because I am so tired of myself. Last Sunday, the owner of the gallery presenting the Tomato Art Fest emailed me a question: "Would you be willing to do more of those little paintings?" So I decided to see what I could do.

Apparently, not much. At least, not as much as I thought I should be able to if I could just get out of my own damn way.

Monday was great. I cut the boards, built supports and glued them all together. Gessoed. Cussed a bit when said gesso dried too fast and cracked. Still, I love this craftsman phase. Saws! Hammers! Industrial Strength Glue! What's not to love?

But by Wednesday, Captain Oblivious was in full command. I had it in my head to go back to some of last year's ideas. "I know! I could try to work out the snail! I love that idea! What about the cherry one that has a little critter embryo in it? That can easily be adopted as a tomato..."

This was one of those times where the good Captain just needed to be shot. I lost two days to the Captain before I realized Meg meant "more paintings like the one you turned in last week."

So Friday, it began. The Great Painting Frenzy. Tomatoes in various "poses." Painting in phases because the paint would just turn to mud otherwise. Sleeping, eating and feeding the cats as the paint dried. At one point, my back hurt so badly from sitting, I vowed I would never sit again when this was all over. I also got so tired of hearing Dave Shuffett because KET4 decided to run a weekend long Kentucky Life marathon and I just never got around to changing the channel. I ended up getting four tomatoes finished:






I've also noticed something...well, stupid about myself when I delivered the paintings yesterday. I have to keep a clamp on my mouth because I can just feel the urge to start babbling when I'm around Meg. She has nothing but great things to say about my work. She has even given me a standing offer to bring her more work to hang in the gallery.

...and that's the problem I have to get over. I'm not in school anymore. I'm not going to get constructive criticism here. I have to stand on my own two feet. The work is good or it's not. I have to fight the urge to just start babbling about what I can do to make it better next time. In my own head, I can always do ever so much better.

Secretly, I wonder when everyone is going to figure out I'm just not that up to par. Until then - or I can just get over myself - I'm going to keep plugging away anyway.

Paintings and whatnot

It's Tomato Art Fest time again! This year, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with ideas and when I did come up with one, I usually didn't know how in the world to carry it out. I had cityscapes hiding inside of tomatoes and whole universes leaking out of slices, complete with stars, planets and galaxies. Tomato shaped bubbles floating in the air (the background gave me fits on that one.) Hermit crabs and tomato shaped clouds.

Here's what I finally came up with:





















I call this one Medusa. The lady at the gallery said it reminded her of a children's book about a little yellow baby boa constrictor who didn't want to grow up because he didn't want to turn green. She told me the name of the book twice and my ears just didn't have their gloves on for some reason. I never did catch it.





















I finally called this one "Oh, Hello!" I worked on this one off and on for six weeks and the composition changed at least three times, maybe four. I felt I went out on a limb with this one because it has an actual background instead of what I usually do. I worked on this painting right up until two days before it was due at the gallery. Even the photos I took of it came out strange.

I told someone that I felt the same way about this painting as I imagine a parent may feel about a kid: you can't help but like them but you just know they're going to end up on the street, possibly in the wrong part of town.
















This is Ode to Wazowski. That's about it's real size. I tinkered with this painting after the festival last summer. It was a plain little thing, with its little tomato self. I picked it up again this year and immediately saw it looking out at the world.

And yes, it's that Wazowski.

In my world...

Bast has to put up with some real dumbasses...(one of these is a repeat - it's there for continuity.)

Bad PR Decisions

Well? Have you?

Why can't more mail be this interesting?

It's been a while. Is that a dustbunny moving across the floor?

Hey y'all. I've missed you.

Well. What's been going on with you?

What? Oh, the late unpleasantness? It's calmed down, for the most part. I don't know what brought it on. All I know is this: after five days of peace alone, I refused to take the blame for whatever it was. I was told "It takes two to fight." True. That said, it only takes one to go crazy. Since then, there have been a few more instances where I have been called a smartass (and?) as well as rude, hateful and impatient (Hello, Pot!) All I can say is, "Whatever. Blame me for Iraq and Darfur if it makes you feel better. I just don't care anymore."

If I did, I'd never get anything done because I'd be a roiling mass of frustration, hurt and anger. That's a type of craziness I just do not need. If it makes me look rude and hateful, then so be it.

Let's get on with the good craziness, shall we?

Oh happy day - I am not the only member of the Cult of St. Crazy.
Oh sad day - I am not the only member of the Cult of St. Crazy.