A man ran an art & lighting store. He'd decided to shake things up & have a grand re-opening in order to stimulate business. I was part of his sales crew. We were all told to walk around before the re-opening to familiarize ourselves with the changes. He had some neat, large, fantasy-inspired paintings up, highlighted by specific positioning of light fixtures. I admired his art & imagined stories related to it.A variety of things went into this dream. Last night I watched Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (which certainly inspired the relaunch of the store.) In my teens, mom made me work for her Mafia gunrunner boyfriend, running a bogus handwriting analysis machine. At one of our locations in a local mall, I used to go to a lighting store during my infrequent breaks because it was beautifully set up & decorated--almost like being in a fantasy land. In the mid-'80s, most of my artwork was fantasy-inspired, primarily featuring dragons (more recently, my artwork was also rejected from a local market as being "fantasy-inspired.") Imagining stories about the art comes from some recent comments to this blog about dream-inspired stories.
The picture is one of the local brown-headed nuthatches emerging from the nesting cavity they've been working on.
Pet Monologues blog was kind enough to include my recent post about these nuthatches as part of their Caw to Art #9 post.
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19 comments:
"In my teens, mom made me work for her Mafia gunrunner boyfriend, running a bogus handwriting analysis machine."
Now here's a great story/memoir premise . . .
Erik; Believe me, you ain't heard the HALF of it! <:\
I'm with Erik. That is a story I want to hear.
Cool inclusion on the Caw to Art.
I recently read how querying for gallery space was as harrowing as querying for agents--and was idiotically surprised. I don't know how I thought art got on gallery walls--people with chunky jewelry and odd fashion sense popping into a struggling artist's studio and 'discovering' their talent, maybe? You'd think I'd know better.
Congratulations on the Pet Monologues reprinting!
I'm with you on the art trade area - can be a tricky business, literally.
Photographed a pink-breasted nuthatch yesterday afternoon while out for a walk - will post it sometime.
Hey Lana,
Damn woman, this story is totally compelling! I want to know more! I love the fantasy detail juxataposed with the harshness of mafia/guns/ etc.
Congrats on the "Caw" thing. That's so cool, sweetness. Great picture, too. I haven't seen 'em coming out or going in the nest myself so it's cool to see this.
Erik, Travis & Michelle; I was also born on Fri. the 13th (in the Bermuda Triangle, according to some maps,) & was sold on the black market. Mom (an abusive alcoholic,) tried to kill us all at one point after dad died. Considering that, ending up as child labor for a mafioso was actually a slight improvement. Unfortunately, by that time I was already at the lowest point in my life. I've repressed much around then & evidently my "higher self" is unprepared to tear down that wall any time soon. Although I don't mind sharing these tidbits, the details will remain happily buried for now.
Sidney & Ivan; Thank you! The more people know about these birds, the more they may do to help them.
Avery & Julie; Unfortunately the local "powers that be" in the art community are very cliquey & yet again I'm an outsider. Since I paint for enjoyment, they can kiss my @$$. I make a little on the side, mostly through this blog (which doesn't incur the usual fees & bloated commissions.) That's good enough for me. :)
Charles; At some point I'd like to get a little video of them. I'm so happy they're nesting. :) They're so small I can hardly imagine what the chicks will be like!
Ah dear Gordon, he is such a delighted isn't he?
Congratulations on the Caw to Art post :]
how wonderful seeing this nuthatch nest! When I was a kid, I use to watch a Red-breasted Nuthatch in a local hole!
Hi, Lana. This morning as the rain drizzled down, I saw all these little sparrow looking birds out in our yard. There were bunches of them. Hubby scattered seed several weeks ago to encourage the spring grass. The little guys were out there feasting! Hope all is well in your world!
Donnetta
Miladysa; Y'know, I'm not even sure how I got into Ramsay's shows. I'm not that big into cooking or anything. Perhaps it's just a relief to see OTHER people getting chewed out like that. <:\
Monarch; I'm particularly pleased as they're on Audubon's WatchList. Here's to many healthy chicks!
Donnetta; All is perfect, thanks. Did you get any pictures of the sparrows? I'd love to see them! Enjoying the story developing on your blog, btw!
I've always been drawn to fantasy inspired art. That probably explains the various collections I have - such as edged weapons, dragons, and wizards.
Travis; Me, too. The problem is that it's not generally accepted in the art community (at least beyond book covers,) & down here in the deep South, it's often considered downright Satanic. <:(
(That was a frowny face, btw, before blogger split lines on it.)
Nice pic. Love the nuthatch. Didn't know they nested in tree holes. Will have to look for them here. Thanks.
Rob; They peck out the holes themselves, too. Persistant little critters! I hope you have some in your area as well. :)
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