Thick brow humor

Right, I'll get the thinning shears

So why is it that my beard is thin and wispy, yet  my eyebrows(not to mention--I just did-- cilliae from my nostrils and ears) produce tresses worthy of a shampoo commercial? And they say God lacks a sense of humor.

RIP, Robin Williams

Dog Days

   My friend (a REAL-live very accomplished potter, drawer, gourmet and animal whisperer) Gary does fun sculptural animals on his pots. I have two mugs by Gary that have pups on the handle, one beagle and one doxie that me made special for me. Gallons of coffee, iced tea and water have gone into these, my favorite mugs. Check out his work at Gary's Third Pottery Blog.

Recently I thought I'd give the animals on the pottery a whirl too. It seemed like it would be fun to blend the animals into the mug handles and to peer over the rim. I'm now working on version 2.0---some things I'd do again, others I'd do differently.

What's in the mug?

Here's looking at you

The animals don't mind if you rest a thumb on them...
disregard the way too loopy handle.

Handy thumb rest.

So I haven't come up with a mug design I totally love yet. I do have ideas for more animal and people handles and for some drawing on the sides...There are lots of ways to make faces.

Back to the drawing pad

The astute and regular viewer will notice the sketch versions of some recent blog posts. Astute and regular as you are (sorry that might be a bit too personal) you'll notice some experimentation with style. I tend to go back to Robin Hall's work and style and try to riff on that. The simplicity appeals to me beyond its intrinsic quality  because I think when it's done well (an elusive goal for me) ideas sparkle with additional clarity and 'oomph'.

Wedding Whoops

Who warned you of the wrath to come...sorry-- wrong text.

I've had my share of oops moments over the last twenty five years (counting seminary and practicum experiences). Happily I have yet to have the particular moment our little nebbish in this toon is having.

Interestingly, there are people who believe that one can open sacred texts at random and derive immediate inspiration or guidance. Seems to me the least injurious result would be embarrassment. A professor we had liked to tell a story about a young person seeking guidance for his love life. His random turn to scripture took him to a passage, "you shall go out with joy". I wonder if Joy thought that serendipity was such a good thing.

The dark side to all of this is that plenty of times, we misinterpret, misappropriate, and otherwise distort sacred texts and lose sight of their basic trajectory. Uh oh...blog post is morphing into a sermon....better hit the 'eject' button.

Throwback Thursday

Musician (l) Cartoonist (c) Real artist (r)
 Circa 1964?

Enjoying a summer splash. Summers in eastern Montana proved variable...hot afternoons followed by evening thunderstorms, followed by humid "hard to sleep through" evenings. Having the pool was a nice respite. As I recall, the pool didn't last long because the liner tore under the weight of exuberant water games. Thankfully, a community pool with boardwalk, pier and diving board was a bicycle ride away once we got a little older.

Looking like a Monday