Relaxation
oil on canvas board
8 x 10 in.
Gadget
A little sadness around here--We had to have a little pet funeral last week. Gadget, a fancy mouse that we've had for nearly two years, passed away last weekend after a full and joyful life of running on her wheel and jumping around her cage.
Seriously, she was a neat little pet, quite active and entertaining. She had an overturned plastic flowerpot with a little door cut in the side. She would fill it up with the bedding and make herself a cozy nest inside. She would leap from the top of the flowerpot to the top of the cage, inverting herself and clinging with all four feet to the screen.
She ate mouse food pellets, mostly, with occasional sunflower seeds or almonds, or a bit of banana for a treat. She didn't get handled much, but she would sometimes climb onto your hand, and chomp her sharp little teeth into your finger.
We think she had a dark side, as the first four companion mice she had (Gizmo 1, Gizmo 2, Gizmo 3, and Gizmo 4) mysteriously died in short order. We finally gave up getting her companions--she apparently preferred to live alone.
In the studio this week, I have been working on a multi-color linoleum block print. Something posessed me to attempt a block print recently, and I can't just do a simple one-color print, I had to do a five color print! Three colors are now printed, the registration of the colors seems to be working out, and I just have to deal with my impatience of letting each color dry completely before printing the next color. I'm not used to creating art that is such a multi-step process. I guess I needed a little break from my traditional media.
The other item completed recently is this little oil of Pixel. I couldn't resist the expression on his face, his "Come hither" look.
Now I need to finish up the lino block printing so I can clean up the studio to get ready for my Open Studio on Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of work to do!
