My time in Seattle comes to a close. I rest this evening in the house of Khoo and then return to Dallas early in the morning. It has been a productive visit on so many levels. Think of my relationship with the Arcadians as a clay sculpture that, over the years, is continually spun and altered. PAX and the week following it has glazed and fired that clay into a finished piece.

Mike forbade me from abandoning my second painting, which I lost patience with two nights ago. He demanded I come back to it today and finish it. I’m glad that I did. It was rushed and not as good as it could have been. But I’m happy with the results. None of these are finished pieces. They’re all exercises in learning and as such I don’t think I want to keep them in my house to act as constant reminders of my failures in this medium. Painting is so much work. It’s such a journey to get from start to completed piece. Would it make any sense if I described it as gruelingly addictive?

Jerry picked the subject for my second painting. I was going to paint Skull next, but the idea of something as “meme” as the LOLBAT being rendered in so traditional a medium gave him a chuckle. The results are posted on my flickr page. Once I get back and settled in, I’ll put it up on eBay. Just think. You could be the first person to own one of these horrible little experiments.