One More Monkey Note

Thanks for your many comments on the Sacred Monkey post. By the way, Vickie left a nice comment with a little myth from the Dayak tribe referring to the creation of orangutans. Check it out in the comment section of that post.

The piece is coming along swimmingly (Joe and Dalynn will be glad to hear this).

One thing that I find really mysterious - beyond the finding of the Sacred Monkey - is WHO, and under what circumstances did someone place the monkey on that step (by the way it seemed quite obviously placed and not dropped). That is the mystery that now consumes me. Of course it is the mystery of any found object...that's what makes them so interesting to me.

Enough monkey shines. Back to work.

p.s.
the above image is Hanuman. Hindu monkey/man who led a monkey army against the demon King Ravana.

Eat. drink, and be merry

So just got back from Art and Soul...quite an amazing time for a number of reasons

Numero Uno: Judy was teaching and we spent some very nice time playing in Portland (although much of it was spent preparing for classes)

Numero Dos: Keith Lo Bue and I had a blast teaching our duo class...I even learned a thing or twelve.

Numero Tres: Art and Soul is great because I get to see and hang with my teaching comrades...here we are in the bar at the Embassy Suites....I told Susan Lenart Kazmer not to stand on the table...but...like she is going to listen to me.

Another great part of this trip was hanging with our buddies Rob and Stacey of Arcangelo Productions (they are the ones that our putting on Judy and my duo Bali retreat and did my Cortona class).. Here's a nice photo that they took of us Rob introduced me to some very tasty Portland made Sub Rosa Spirits: infused Tarragon and Saffron Vodka...since then we have decided the we may perhaps start a blog entitled "Blogdka"...not sure that it would be much to read but it would surely be fun to prep for...I digress.

Speaking of Rob and Stacy, they are now total blog addicts...Judy and I spent an entire dinner attempting to convince them that they would have a blast blogging. Rob seemed quite dubious...well no more. They decided to start a blog on their life in Bali, Italy, Portland and everywhere else they see fit...its called VITA...Of course there is a questionable photo of me in one of the posts...I think it may have been Photo-shopped. Check it out (the blog...not the questionable photo)

The Strange Case of the Sacred Monkey

Ok so I've had a strange day. Today was the day I needed to hunker down and get some work done on a commish that I'm doing for someone. It is a family portrait...sort of...more generally speaking and I just got rolling. It's a large piece...about 4ft by 3 ft. and things started to roll after I found a couple of statues at an antique store to represent the couple. Below is a hint of the beginnings of the piece. No paint yet...just raw materials...the figures will change oodles. Now one thing my clients wanted me to include was a representation of there child...who they fondly call their little monkey. So today I decided I needed to track down a little monkey for the shrine. I pondered a bit and my first thought was the Montana Antique Mall (4 stories of goodies). Of course it means weeding through the place to find a small little monkey. Well, no time like the present. I pull up to the curb in front of the building and start walking in. I even pull the door open and I hesitate. I look down on the side walk and see this:
What is it? A piece of rust...poop? Looks like it might be good. I look closer.
Before I go any further...I'll show you where I was when I found the little object...red dot marks the spot.A closer look reveals a tiny ceramic orangutan. Okay this is pretty friggin' weird. What are the odds. I mean seriously...the day I'm looking for a little monkey. Now I'm sure I could have found a monkey, but to find a monkey on the sidewalk in front of a store that is not know for its supply of monkeys. That little thing on the sidewalk could have been anything...a gear...a old tootsie roll...even a ceramic squirrel, but nooooo, a ceramic monkey on the day I need a ceramic monkey. What do you think statistic freaks? Two trillion to one....more...less?

So here is the sacred monkey in his little spot on the piece. I'll post images of the completed piece when its done. But there is some seriously strange mojo going down already. Weird...very weird.