working like a dog

I’ve been working like a dog lately (is there any other way?) to create pieces to sell at an art & craft show here in Burgau on April 4^th. I’m raising funds for my friends at the animal shelters in the Algarve.  I hope that if any of you are in the area you'll drop by and say hello. The show is at a fabulous café called Tomik. There will be many vendors with splendid wares on offer including stained glass, handmade soaps, homemade chocolates and more. You will even be able to get a manicure or pedicure (or in my case, a pawdicure). At the bottom of this post I've put a link for more information.

Here are some of the pieces I've been working on:

postcard
4" x 6" (10 cm x 15 cm)

Scottie
acrylic on board
8"x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

red sentinel
acrylic on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

I'll have a variety of work for sale including paintings and illustrations; Dogs & Cats of Portugal (Cães & Gatos de Portugal) photographic postcards; relief print cards; hand printed t-shirts; and handmade books with original art on the covers. Prices will range from €1 to €50 so just about everyone can afford to help the hounds.

Boris and the bird
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

dreaming of Paris
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

After the show I may have unsold pieces available to be shipped to folks in Europe and North America. There will be a small window of opportunity for these pieces so check back here after April 4th but before April 14th. I'll post images of the available pieces and payment can be made through Paypal.

Here's the link for more information about the show: https://www.facebook.com/events/785698321512556/

Tchau-wow!

(R)egrets, I've had a few

colour pencil sketch from my journal

(R)egrets, I’ve had a few.  Should I start to list them all? I think not. No point crying over spilt Milkbones ™. Let me just say that I regret not posting more often on my blog.

I enjoy the exercise of putting my thoughts into words, and documenting bits of my life. But sometimes life actually gets in the way of documenting. It’s a catch 22 of sorts. If I had nothing going on, there would be nothing to document. But when I am busy involved in things that might be worth documenting, I have no time or energy to do so. Ah, well.

So here’s a bit of catch-up (not to be confused with ketchup, which would be quite messy if I actually tried to feed some to you via the computer screen).

My book, DOG-EARED JOURNALS – art and observation from a dog living in Portugal, has been available since November of 2013. 

back and front covers of my book

Wow, how did I not make a big post about that?! Mainly because distribution is the problem. Since it’s self-published, there are tricky bits to work out if I don’t want to give it away for nothing. I could list it on Amazon, but until I fill out some complicated forms (which make me tuck my tail between my legs), listing it there is out of the question. I would receive about 82 cents per book if someone were to buy it through Amazon. The U.S. government would make about six dollars and then Amazon would pocket the rest.

So for now, my dog-loving Canadian friend Krista sells them from her studio in Nova Scotia (and by mail to North American customers). Go to www.kristawells.ca for more info. For my local friends, she recently re-stocked it in my favourite Portuguese bookstore, Livros da Ria Formosa in Lagos (home of my best friend, Rita).  It’s also available as a digital book from www.blurb.com.

Speaking of my dog-loving Canadian friend, it’s time I made a confession. She is actually my alter ego. I know, I know, some of you have probably already guessed this by now, but I just wanted to set the record straight.  My mind and soul is split: half human, half dog. For the sake of continuity and the suspension of disbelief, I will continue the charade of writing this blog from my dog’s eye view. It forces some interesting perspectives, which might never happen if I simply write from my human point of view. Just play ball, okay? Thanks.

So that’s it for now. My two selves are working on a fundraising event to be held here in Burgau early in April. The proceeds will benefit dog shelters in Portugal.  I’ll let you know details in my next blog post. Tchau-wow!

extending a helping paw

Well well, time flies like the wind! (And fruit flies like bananas.) Once again it’s been a long time since my last post. This will be a quick one, just to tie up the loose ends of the previous one about the dirty tricks being played by a deceitful dog-shelter here in Portugal. 

The shelter in question is called Lizzy’s Haven. The conditions there were deplorable. Dogs were not being properly cared for, money was mishandled, etc. (to put it mildly). The police became involved and eventually most of the animals were removed from this shelter. There are still ten dogs, two cats, four horses and two goats on the premises. The police continue to check on it every few weeks. The owner is not permitted to have any more animals.

For more information on Lizzy’s Haven, please have a look at the Facebook page, Lizzy's Haven Save the Animals, that has been set up to inform the public about it and to find better situations for the animals that had been at her place.

One woman who stepped forward to help some of the animals who were removed has set up a registered charity shelter on her own property. It’s called “Cães Sem Donos” Associação de Protecção dos Cães Abandonados.  (There’s also one in Brazil with almost the same name, so don’t be confused.) I was there last week to check it out and I liked what I saw. 

(photo courtesy of Louise Coppin)

Louise has a very good facility with plenty of room for the animals and insists on giving each of them time in the house every day so that they are well socialized and fit for adoption. The dogs who were at Lizzy’s Haven were in very poor condition when they arrived at Louise’s a few months ago, but now they are flourishing under her care. It was heartening to see.

A couple from Germany visited Louise’s shelter not long ago and have made a short film about her work. It’s well done and is a good representation of what the place is like. Have a look.

Cães Sem Donos

I’ve learned my lesson to research very well before I make a donation or extend a paw to help. I hope this situation doesn’t discourage people from continuing to help animals in need. Just be sure you trust who it is you are helping. Do some research, ask friends if they have any first-hand knowledge of the organization you are looking into. After all, there are still animals in distress. We all just need to be sure our help is going to the right place.

old tricks, new tricks, dirty tricks

Well, it’s been so long since my last post that I almost forgot how to do it. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but what about teaching an old dog tricks that he’s forgotten? Once the trick is forgotten does it become a new trick? Everything old is new again?

Speaking of tricks, I'm still working on the trickiness of drawing on an iPad (or in my case, iPawed). There is much to learn. It isn't completely different from drawing on paper, but there are some tricks, some advantages and some disadvantages. It is thoroughly enjoyable though, and I love learning new tricks, despite my age.

My friend Margi is creating a digital drawing per week (plus one) for a whole year using an app called Paper53. You can see her weekly drawings here. http://pinterest.com/margil/paper-53/

It’s a great way to really get to know the idiosyncrasies of a particular app or program. I can’t seem to maintain focus (or a schedule) to do this so I jump around from app to app whenever I have the impulse to draw digitally.

For my own edification and for your amusement (I hope) I decided to try drawing the same subject several different ways. The first example is on real paper in my sketch book. I did a rough sketch in pencil, then once I was happy with the lines, I went over them with a Pentel Pocket Brush pen which has a black waterproof  ink. From there I added colour with pan watercolours.

Sasha sketch in ink and watercolour on watercolour paper

The next one I did was using the Paper53 app. I've been playing around with a graphic style with this app, breaking the subject into blocky sections.

Sasha digital sketch done using Paper53 app

Finally I did another digital sketch using the Sumo Paint app. I particularly like the natural looking ink lines with this app. It’s very similar to the lines I get with my Pentel Pocket Brush pen.

Sasha digital sketch done using Sumo Paint app

Obviously I’m only licking the edges when it comes to all the possibilities for creating sketches. Life is just one big bowl of kibble and I’m eager to try all the flavours.

If you’d like to see more of my digital drawings, follow this link to my Clibe journal. http://myclibe.com/marketplace/journals/77613/spreads/1#0

Clibe is an app for creating and posting journals of any sort. Anyone can go to the Clibe site and browse the thousands of publicly shared journals there. If you have an iPad and install the Clibe app, you can follow the journals that you like and actually download them and read them offline, at your leisure. Whenever one of the journals that you follow is updated, it will automatically be synced to your iPad the next time you open the Clibe app when you are online.

On a final note, I must thank everyone who voted for my drawings in the Adonit contests last September and October. We managed to raise a total of US$800 which I donated to several animal shelters here in Portugal. Sadly, (and this is the "dirty tricks" to which I refer in the title of this post) it appears that one of the shelters may not be as worthy of our donations as I thought. It’s through no fault of the animals, of course. When I have more concrete news about this, I will post it. Let me just say that people can be deceiving, their motives can be hidden, their intentions can be less than honourable. With dogs, what you see is what you get. I really wish people were more like dogs. The world would be a better place.

hip hip hooray!

Regular readers of my blog will know that last month I entered a sketching contest held by Adonit, creator of the Jot stylus for touch screens. The theme of the contest was "favourite movie scenes" and I did a sketch from Bombon el Perro, in which the main character is a dog (of course). Well, thanks to many artist friends and animal supporter friends on Facebook I was able to finish in second place which is worth US$300. Hip hip hooray! Originally I had said I would share any winnings with the dog shelter where many of my friends live, but in order to provide a greater incentive for people to vote I decided to give all the money to three animal shelters here in the Algarve.

Now I've entered Adonit's October sketching contest and the theme is "monsters". My entry is called "Here Kitty Kitty".

Once again I will donate any money I win to the animal shelters. I may need more support from some other shelters in order to secure a win and if I do I will share the winnings with them too. If any of you have a connection to a particular shelter and you can rally the Facebook followers to vote, let me know. First prize is US$500. It seems that Adonit plans to hold this competition every month so it's conceivable that with strong, consistent support, I (we) could earn $500 each month to donate to needy animals!

Here's the link to the voting site. http://a.pgtb.me/8vDc2D

You can vote once every 24 hours so bookmark the link or this blog post to make it easy to go back to each day. You can also hit the "share" button that is at the bottom of my entry on the contest page. It's a simple thing that you can do to make a big difference for many animals. (Sometimes it doesn't accept your vote even if you've waited the 24 hours, but when that happens to me I just wait a while and try again. Just keep an eye on the little box with the number and see if the number changes when you vote. If it doesn't, try again later.)


So if you could work any Internet magic available to you (share this post, bribe your relatives, whatever it takes) we furry friends would be eternally grateful. Obrigado, thank you, gracias, danke, arrrooof, esker, tack, dekuji, dank u, kiitos, paldies, 'a d'anq, tak, salamat, merci, arigatō, and many more.

Posted via iPawed

I'm BEGGING

I'm a dog and dogs are very good at begging. But before I tell you what I'm begging for, let me give you some background.

I've been spending time using my iPawed to explore various drawing apps. It's quite an interesting exercise. Each app has its own set of tools and methods of use. Let me be clear. These are not apps in which you just open up a photo, press a button, and you have something that looks somewhat like a hand drawn (or painted) image. No, in these apps you choose the type of mark (pencil, brush, ink, spray, et cetera - all infinitely adjustable) and you physically draw with your paw (or finger) or a stylus.

I've also been playing around with different stylii and currently my favourite is called a Jot Touch. Adonit, the company that produces them, is running a contest right now. They are asking Jot users to submit drawings of a scene from their favourite movie.

My favourite is Bombon el Perro. It's about a man who is given a very special breed of dog but he's never had a dog and doesn't know what to do with him. The movie follows the two of them as they form a relationship and an understanding of each other. It's quite a beautiful movie, but not in a sappy way. This is the sketch I've submitted. First prize is US$500.

So here's the begging part. Pleeeeeeeeeease please please vote for me. I've decided if I win I will donate half of the money to an animal shelter. If you'd like to vote for me, here's how:

Click this link. https://www.facebook.com/AdonitFB?v=app_356123317805804 Look for my drawing or my name, Ruca Cao. There are a couple of pages of entries. If you have trouble finding the contest or casting your vote, please let me know. Voting ends on September 30 but you can (please) vote once a day. To vote on the site you click the white box on the right, beside the number of votes I have received so far. I thank you and so do the animals in the shelter!


My vote totals are creeping up so I think that with your help there's a chance that I could take away the prize. It would be really great if you could help to get people to vote by spreading the word among your Facebook community.

Obrigado and woof woof!

Posted via iPawed

suicide squid = a bittersweet treat

Every now and then when I'm trotting along the beach, something out of the ordinary catches my nose. The other morning, following the Blue Moon (the rare occurrence of a second full moon in one month, in case you didn't already know), a delectable scent wafted my way. Upon investigation, I found a small squid on the sand. He (she?) was dead. Quite dead. Clearly he had committed suicide. I know that a full moon can provoke weird behaviour. The Blue Moon must have pushed this creature over the edge.

I truly felt sorry for the poor thing, but I'm not one to waste a culinary opportunity so I fetched a fancy plate (I felt I had to infuse the event with a touch of ceremony) and carefully placed the squid on it.

I studied it closely for a moment and noticed a puzzling phenomenon.

Some of the little dots on the skin were pulsating - almost disappearing and then expanding, disappearing and expanding. It was very strange. I'm sure the squid was dead. The fool proof sniff test confirmed it. But this dot thing kind of put me off. Not for long though. I had one last look ... And then I ate him. R.I.P. in my belly, suicide squid. Yes, that was a bittersweet treat.

Posted via iPawed

we aim to please

As you know, I'm a dog. And as dogs, we aim to please. Not so our canid cousins. They aim to kill – to survive. Wolves, jackals, coyotes, they've all retained the killer instinct that we dogs once had. The instinct to survive is no longer our strongest. As we became domesticated we softened. Now we aim to please. And that’s not always a good thing. Sure, fetching newspapers or balancing biscuits on our noses won’t kill us, but sometimes the desire to please gets us into trouble. Deep trouble.

Time and time again we do things that are not in our best interest. A person tells us to jump, we don’t ask how high. We just jump as high as doggedly possible. Many a muscle or tendon has been torn in the effort.

Jump!
*photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Samuel Renteria 

We would die of thirst to please you.

A working military police dog recovers from minor heat exhaustion.*

Thirsty!
*photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Dogs trained to withstand extremely loud sounds such as gunshots and explosions suffer permanent hearing damage or post traumatic stress disorder. They overcome the urge to run from such sounds, all for the goal of pleasing someone.

I bet the people have ear protection.
*photo by Master Sgt. Scott Wagers

Search and rescue dogs frequently work in hazardous situations, subjecting themselves to everything from sliced feet and puncture wounds to life-ending respiratory illness.

searching for victims after a truck bombing*

There are countless stories of dogs rescuing their people from hazardous situations, only to end up dying for their effort.

Duncan died in a house fire after he saved his owner.
(full story at abcnews)

It all comes down to wanting to please, to be liked. I worry sometimes about our future. If we continue in this vein, I fear we won’t last. With that possibility in mind, think twice before you ask us to do something that might not be good for us. We’ve shown that we will do anything for your praise. People, you have great power. Use it wisely. You don’t want to end up with a world without dogs, do you?

In an effort to please you right now, I would love to leave you a juicy bone, but it’s not really possible over the internet. Failing that, I leave you with my most winning smile. I hope you like it.

Do you like me now?

*indicates public domain image.

dogtionary

Dogtionary

I’ve got some pretty tech savvy friends. My best friend Rita, for instance, spends a lot of time at her person’s bookstore where she meets many interesting people and learns about many things.

Rita

Rita is the one who introduced me to something called Instagram. It’s an iPhone/iPod (or in my case iPawed) application that allows users to edit photos in creative ways and then share them online. A whole community of “Instagrammers” has erupted. I’ve been participating for about six months and I’ve enjoyed connecting with many clever and creative Instagrammers.

One follower of mine (and whom I follow - hi @hiker083, oh and hi @rosselion who started the dogtionary thingie) suggested I participate in a little Instagram game called dogtionary. The idea is to post a photo of a dog and add the identifier “A is for Aussie” or “B is for Border Collie” etc. Then write a description or definition for that dog. It’s a fun exercise. If you are a registered Instagram user, just search for #dogtionary to see all the entries.

Here is mine: P is for Podengo

easy chair

And here is what I wrote for the description:

Portuguese Podengo

this ancient breed
built to hunt
lightning speed.

Wire haired or smooth,
large, medium, or small
ears like a donkey's
alert to all.

Sharp of wit
but not of tongue
ages well
forever young.

Loving and silly
watchful and smart
independent yet loyal
an incredible heart.

Not one to argue
your reason nor rhyme
Portuguese Podengo
a character sublime.

Unfortunately I can’t seem to track down any way for non Instagrammers to see all the entries, but I’ve just put up a page (click on instagrams at the top of this blog) of some Instragram photos I’ve done over the past six months, so at least you can have a taste of what all the Instagram hype is about.  I will add more from time to time, so check back every now and then.

Tchao-wow!

afternoon quickie becomes marathon

How does an afternoon quickie turn into a marathon? Allow me to explain.

It was mid-afternoon. 3:00. I hadn’t been doing as much sketching as I would like to have been doing. I thought “I’ll just do a quickie. Or several quickies.” Não é um problema. So first I looked through the stash of photos I’ve taken lately. "Hmm… here’s one of three friends in Vale do Boi."

over-exposed

But the photo was pretty crummy. Over-exposed. “Well, I’ll just do a quick fix on it. Perk it up a bit,” I said to myself. (No one else was there to talk to.)

touched up

That’s a little better. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to salvage it, but it’s okay.

“Now to get down to business. Hmmm. Pencil first? Or straight to pen?” Well, I started with pencil. “I’ll just rough in the basics, then switch to pen.” But I got a bit carried away with the pencil. Then I thought, “I’ve put so much into this it’s going to look strange if I ink in all those pencil lines. It’ll be too busy.” Some of the pencil lines were indicators for where shading or colour values change. “I guess I’d better use coloured pencil to take advantage of all the details I’d sketched out.”

So, three and a half hours later (yeah yeah, I’m slow) I'd managed to turn what was meant to be a quickie - or several quickies - into a full afternoon of cross-eyed, mind-numbing, pencil-pushing productivity.

one of my friends in Vale do Boi,
coloured pencil, 17cm x 16cm

Now I really need a nap! Then a coffee.

I can fall asleep anywhere.

Sundown

Sundown is one of my favourite times of the day (or night).

Not only is it a visual feast, it’s also an aural feast. It’s the time when we dogs pass on our news. But this news need not be particularly eventful. Just as people use status updates on Facebook, we (dogs) like to make our voices heard, however insignificant what we have to say may be.

Click on the video above to see what I mean.

It’s just a way of connecting to the community of canids, of adding to the pulsing pandemonium. The barking, yelping and baying ricochets down the valleys, dozens of ruff voices overlapping and mingling in an odd dissonance that both excites and sooths my doggy soul.

another beautiful sundown in Portugal

Coffee with a Canine

This is just a quick post to bring you up to date on a bit of news. My dog-loving Canadian friend was interviewed on a really neat blog called Coffee with a Canine. The interview was about our relationship. Well, mostly it's about me.

outside Varandas Bar, journal sketch, ink and watercolour

I contributed this sketch from my journal. There are also a couple of photos with the interview. You can check it out here. Coffee with a Canine. While you’re there, have a look at some of the other posts. You’ll be introduced to a variety of people and their canine friends.

Tchao-wow!

and the award goes to...

I’ve been given an award!

Petra of http://www.indivisualism.com has given me a blog award. I’ve never gotten an award. I’m suitably humbled and tickled. Or tickled and humbled. Or tumbled and ….. Okay, I’ll stop. But I must say “Thank you Petra!” and encourage you to visit her blog for some fantastic eye candy and inspiration. 

Now, I had to ask what the protocol is after winning a blog award. Petra says one version is that “you have to share seven things about yourself and then pass the award on to seven bloggers. Another one says you have to pass it on to 15 blog(gers) with less than 200 followers.  I think the important thing is to be happy about it and pass it on to whoever you think deserves it :)" Or I can do what Petra did and throw out the “rules” and do whatever the hoopity-hoop I want to do. So. Hmmmm.

Okay, I’ll play by the rules for a change.  I’m choosing to award 15 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. It was really tough to narrow it down to 15! I’ve come across so many enlightening, creative, silly, fun, and inspirational blogs these past few months.  But here’s my short list. Check them out. There’s something there for everybody!

http://arwenspack.blogspot.com/  This blogger knows how to embrace life as dogs do.

http://callingcrowstosea.blogspot.com/ Nancy is an up and coming blogger with a sensitive perspective on life. Only five followers so far, so show her some love!

http://danscanvas.blogspot.com/ He’s never afraid to try something, always willing to examine his methods, and he’s got a sense of humour to boot.

http://diondior.blogspot.com/ She’s bursting with creativity in the face of adversity.

http://www.dogfostermom.com/ She’s a guardian angel!

http://thehappypainter22.blogspot.com/  She’s a painter. She’s happy. Need I say more?

http://jean-townsend.blogspot.com/ Check out her great series of mug shots.

http://joneri.blogspot.com/ Jonas looks at the world with eyes wide open.

http://katerinademianiuk.blogspot.com/ This animation student has a sweet and goofy style.

http://lorraineshirkus.blogspot.com/ Her oil paintings have a lovely dreamy quality.

http://michelemeisterart.blogspot.com/ Michele has a great series on the go. It involves wolves. It’s mysterious. ‘Nuf said.

http://penspaperstudio.blogspot.com/ A fun sense of humour really comes through in her quirky illustrations.

http://pincelesrabiosos.blogspot.com/ He has great variety in his drawing style.

http://real-life-journals.blogspot.com/ Her books on journaling are some of my favourites. She doles out inspiration to create with both practicality and poetry.

http://tomsarmo.blogspot.com/ He calls his studio Cranky Bird Studio, but you’ll feel anything BUT cranky after visiting here.

Start the presses! I’m publishing a book!

Start the presses! I’m publishing a book!

This is the cover, a self-portrait.

That’s right. I’m going to be a published author! I’ve always LOVED books – all sorts of books. Books that tell a gripping story, books that introduce me to a different point of view, books with luscious illustrations, silly books, serious books, true books, false books.  And now one of those books will be my illustrated journal!

Of course I couldn’t do this on my own. I have always depended on the kindness of strangers and for this book I had the help of a stranger who has become a friend. I’ve mentioned her on this blog once before. She’s the dog-loving Canadian and it was actually her idea for me to publish my illustrated journals. Let me tell you, when she first suggested it my tail almost wagged right off my butt!

If you want to see more about my friend, she has her own website you can visit. www.kristawells.ca

Obviously this isn’t something I could have done on my own, even if I had thought of it. I am a pretty resourceful dog but there are just some things I can’t work around, the principal one being money: In order to publish a book there are expenses and I don’t think they take bones in lieu of people money. So not only has my dog-loving friend come up with the brilliant idea of publishing my work, she has also very kindly offered to deal with the money and logistics of it all.

I've never understood why people value this ...

... more than this.

If it was dogistics rather than logistics I could have taken care of it. But there were contacts to be made, people to confer with. Other people-y business-y stuff. Now, I’m pretty good at communication, but it is a two way street and there are some people who just don’t know how to communicate with a dog. This could have been a problem, but my friend was the interpreter when necessary. I just kept doing what I do and she took care of the rest.

“So,” you ask, “what’s going to be in this published illustrated journal?” Well dear blog readers, you will recognize a few of the illustrations but most of it will be all new to you. You’ll read more about my everyday wanderings, including a couple of very cool road trips, a close encounter with a famous movie star, observations on the absurdities of people, doggie soul searching, recipes for delicious snacks, sightings of rare birds… all illustrated in my mish-mash style of watercolour and ink, relief prints, collage, scribble, photographs, gouache, acrylic … Hmmm, is there a medium I won’t try?

Part of the published journal covers an intense period in my life, a period of searching for my roots. I’ve always known who my mother is, but until recently I didn’t really give much thought to who my father is. It’s not a question we dogs spend a lot of time chewing over. Readers will be able to follow my quest to find my father and consequently, the meaning of life. Intrigued? Stay posted and I’ll give a very loud bark when it’s available. Aurrrrrrrooooooooooooooooo!

the art of fish

relief print in journal (detail),  ink 

The feast that Rita and I were treated to a few days ago got me thinking about fish. Fish and art, that is.  You see, the person who cooked the fish was an artist with food. And the subject was fish. I was thinking about this and started to notice that fish inspire many artists. I see examples all around me. And I have been inspired by fish as well, and continue to be so.

I thought I’d give you a little taste of the variety of fishy art to be found here. Some of it is mine and some is just what I’ve stumbled across in my local wanderings. Unfortunately I don’t know who to credit for every piece, but if anyone out there reading this can give me information I’d be happy to add it.

mosaic on wall of bath at ruins of Milreu (click image to enlarge)

This is just a taste of the many incredible mosaics found at the ruins of Milreu near Estoi here in the Algarve. These were made by Italian artists about 2000 years ago. Each little stone that makes up the mosaic is only about the size of a piece of dog kibble. They must have worked like dogs to make this!

broken tile mosaic on wall

This is a much more recent fish mosaic found right here in Burgau.

sign outside restaurante in Carvoeiro

This one isn’t a mosaic, but it is made of many bits. In this case the fish are cut and shaped pieces of metal.

journal page, ink, watercolour and crayon

Fish are fun to doodle. There is such a variety in the colour, shape, and texture. I think you could draw a fish a day for the rest of your life and never repeat yourself.

painted platter (work in progress)

I was visiting my friend Lotte in Pereira. His person rescued him from a garbage bin when he was just a pup. Lotte and his person live in a house that also has a tile workshop where people go for lessons. This is a platter being painted by one of the students.  The subject? Fish of course.

interesting fish graphics on sugar packets

For some reason fish appear on these sugar packets. I’m not sure what fish have to do with sugar, but they did catch my eye. I think sometimes that's the sole purpose of an interesting image - simply to catch your eye. Well, I guess it worked.

   

My friend (er, aquaintance really - he's a bit too grumpy for me) Bossy Pants at Ancora

Well all this talk of fish has made me hungry. I’m off to the back door of Restaurante Ancora where the owner Rex is always eager to feed a ruggedly handsome dog like me.

Tchao-wow! 

A fish in the pan is worth two in the sea.

Sometimes the smell of fish makes me lose my head, but not quite like this!

Rita and I were at the fish market in Lagos this morning and we were seduced by the lovely smells. I hopped up on a stack of chairs that were near the counters to get a good view of all the tasty ocean treats. One particularly caught my eye so I did a sketch of it in my journal. The sign said it’s called azevias. The name in English is flounder.  But I think the sign is wrong. It didn’t smell like flounder to me. And besides, all the azevias I’ve known have their eyes only on one side of the body, except the very young ones whose eyes haven’t migrated yet. Boy, that’s a whole other subject though. Imagine being born with your eyes in a certain place and then one of them gradually moves and the whole shape of your body transforms. It’s weird! But I digress.

journal sketch, watercolour

While I was drawing, Rita ran into a person friend from Burgau. He could see how much Rita wanted some fish so he invited both of us back to his place for a feast.  He let Rita choose what she wanted so she pointed to the cavala (mackerel). He had the seller pick two of the best, had them wrapped up, gave the man some coins and off we went. Before we left Lagos we stopped by the bookstore to let Rita’s person know she was going for a visit to Burgau.

Our friend didn't waste a bit. The guts were the appetizers.

Our friend set up a couple of stools for us to perch on and supervise the preparations. He carefully grilled the fish over a fire and it was delicious! This man can cook! Rita and I had the appetizers and one fish, he and his friend shared the other fish. I think Rita and I were the perfect guests. We happily allowed the man and his friend to pat us much as they wanted. We courteously licked their hands clean after they had finished eating, and we cleaned all their dishes too. With any luck we’ll be asked to visit again soon. In the meantime we have other fish to fry.

something to chew on

journal sketch, ink

I want to talk a bit about shoes and my shoe fetish. Actually, it’s not so much a shoe fetish as it is a chew fetish. Now, apparently, many of you reading this [particularly people, as opposed to my readers who are dogs (hi William!)] also have shoe fetishes. Some people are more specific and might call it a heel fetish, or a brogue fetish but call them what you will – shoes, sneakers, plimsolls, pumps, runners, trainers, hikers – whatever you like, they’re all chews to me.

   

And that brings me back to my point.  Nothing beats a good shoe chew. And each shoe has its own merits. For instance a well worn athletic shoe has a certain je ne sais quoi, and I don’t know what it is. Certainly there’s the nearly overwhelming dark sweaty odour coupled with a pervasive lingering dampness that just doesn’t present itself in a fancy dress shoe. And the texture begs to be torn at with a certain degree of vigour.

But then a dress shoe has different qualities that demand equal attention. The leather is of a texture and resilience that begs a more leisurely chew. One needs to gnaw slowly and steadily in order for the saliva to really have a chance to permeate the leather, releasing the subtleties of the flavour.

   

A sturdy work boot is an enticing combination of an athletic shoe and a dress shoe: It has the mysterious sweaty flavours perfectly combined with the subtleties of leather, although usually a somewhat heartier leather than that found in a dress shoe.

Really, what it comes down to is personal taste. And for me that changes with my mood. Some days I have a craving for that lively Nike, whereas on another day I just want to mellow out with an Italian loafer. My motto is “never eschew a good shoe chew”.

journal page, relief print, ink