SOMETIMES A THING CAN BE TOO BIG!

                               

                    

Yes, dear readers in a man's world it's about size. His motorcycle, the caliber of his gun, his dog, and countless other things.

Sometimes size is not a good thing. Take Saturday, September 4th, 2010. I was doing a sale on Hwy. 34 in conjunction the with Labor Day Weekend Powers Crossroads Arts and Crafts Festival. Things were going well. People were feeling good, buying their little hearts out, a sunny sky, not too hot.

Yeah, nice weather, except for that one damn little down-draft, a rouge breeze, called a funnel-gunnel by air traffic controllers. It took Li'l Rufus(the 8ft. rooster) completely by surprise! Before he could crow a warning, a strong, concentrated gust came up on his left side/wing and ever so slightly lifted him up and pushed him to the right. As he toppled to the ground, his over sized and pronounced pecker/beak caught the right quarter panel of a brand new car. A very deep scratch on a brand new car.

A fellow vendor and close personal friend of mine, who also happens to be an appraiser for auto damage, estimated that the damage would in the $1000 range. That particular day Nationwide was indeed 'on my side'. I found it odd that my homeowners insurance would pay off when I was 20 miles from home, but they know what they are doing(?).

As luck would have it, the car belonged to the wife of one of Janice's cousins. He knew me, but she did not. She came running up mad as a wet hen. That Dodge was less than two weeks old and she was as proud of it as a new puppy!

She: YOU JUST PUT A DEEP SCRATCH IN MY NEW CAR!

Me: No ma'am, I didn't do it the Rooster did.

She: (Getting louder and trying to catch her breath) WELL, IT'S YOUR ROOSTER! WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO ABOUT IT?

Me: If you would be kind enough to turn your car around the other way, I'll push the Rooster over again and you will have matching scratches, no one will notice, besides you live in Heard County, it's kinda the law to beat up a new car to break it in.

At this point she was to the point of passing out from lack of oxygen, when Ronnie, her husband stepped up,holding back the tears as best he could and said, "Larry I don't think she can take much more."

She:(To Ronnie) You know this guy?
Ronnie: Yeah, you know, it's Janice, our cousin's husband, the woman that passed away after Christmas, we went to the funeral.
Her tone changed, but before she could continue, I gave her all the information she needed and told her to have it fixed and I would send her a check. 

We parted as friends and several weeks later settled the matter.

Owning Ol' Rufus added another chapter to my life. During our travels, a thousand people must have posed to have their picture taken with this big bird. I eventually traded him for 2 cigar store Indians, but I still miss him.

CROW ON AMERICA!   

MAN OVERBOARD!

S

Somehow, being told, "this is good", on my second foray into painting, by someone that is paid, is not the strongest encouragement I could have received. Cheryl, my art instructor, is a nice lady, and maybe she was looking more at my potential than my canvas. At any rate, I took the shot and painted this masterpiece. I wonder where the unlucky recipient is going to hang it. That will teach my facebook fans not to shower me with false praise. 


Although I found this painting to be very taxing (I felt like I had run a marathon afterwards), I still enjoyed the class. There is nothing better for you than going outside your comfort zone. I was way out on this one. The fact that I don't like night scenes in artwork has a great deal to do with it. Sunny, light, airy, all are words that I like to associate with my view of art.

The whole point of this posting is to tell my readers that if you have ever, even once, wanted to paint something, then take the plunge. That brings up the question of how to get started. My situation is that Cheryl teaches art in public school and has a studio on the side. I have listed some options to try so that you can find some affordable instructions yourself.

1. Chamber of Commerce or city clerks office will know who has a business license for a studio.
2. Public libraries usually have a room for instruction of various art forms.
3. Local art and craft store will know who may be offering classes.
4. Community colleges have adult education classes that usually have art classes from time to time.
5. Your local school system art instructor may be offering courses or know someone who is.
6. Senior Centers, if you qualify, are a good source reference. The director probably knows someone even if they are not offering at the center.
7. Local newspapers, shoppers, free press, etc. are worth looking into.
8. Look on line. "Googling" is a great way to find almost anything.

I hope this information is helpful and I hope you will at least try one class. You have to try once before you can honestly say whether or not  it was worth the effort. If you are fortunate enough to find a good instructor like I have, you will get the bug and look forward to each class you attend. I am not interested in some of the subject matter that is offered at time, but it is the different skills you learn that is important.

So go find a class, pick up a brush and attack a canvas! Best of luck! 

Update: since I first posted this, I have married and moved in with my wife in Sugar Hill, Ga. One of the things that she fell in love with at my old house was this picture. Her master bath had/has a nautical theme and so she seized this canvas to go in that bathroom. I now see it everyday and smile, it brings back good memories.