Wrestling With Pigs

topdogBeliefs 3 Comments

The political season, having reached the expected crescendo of crazy, The Missus told me she was tired of it all and wanted to talk about something else. Not that I’m constantly going on about it, but even the little I mention is too much, I guess. “Fine,” I said. “Let’s talk about Flat Earthers.” With a sigh, she dropped her head into her hands. “Jehovah’s Witnesses?” Belief has always fascinated me. For one thing, the …

Super 8 is just a mashup of It, Goonies, and E.T.

These Things I Know

topdogUnpopular Opinions 2 Comments

I do a newsletter. It’s not a monthly newsletter. Instead, it’s a “I’ll Get To It When I Feel Like It And Have Something To Say” newsletter. For most people that “Having Something To Say” part is not a big hurdle. One need simply browse social media for a few minutes to find lots of people with something to say, and even more people with nothing to say and a compulsive need to say it …

feature image of Kai portrait

Kai

topdogPet Portraits 1 Comment

For the longest time I’ve used Corel Painter for nearly all my portraits. About 2 years ago I – foolishly, in a moment of weakness – opted for a new subscription model for Painter. So instead of evaluating and deciding if new upgrades were worth the cost of upgrading, I would automatically get the new upgrade as part of my yearly $200 subscription fee. Well, it’s been over two years without any upgrades in Painter, …

16 portraits

A Sweet Sixteen!

topdogPet Portraits 2 Comments

I’ve been painting pet portraits steadily for the last five years (and as a side-business for the five years prior to that). Most of my work has come to me through word of mouth, and repeat customers. In the last year or so, orders have slowed. I figured it was time to try something new. This past October and November, I purchased a booth in two local craft fairs. My booth consisted of several sample …

image of a round earth

They Went to Antarctica and Had a Ball!

topdogBeliefs 2 Comments

Every time I encounter a flat earth believer, it’s like coming across a highway accident. As I slowly inch by the sputtering road flares, I try not to look at the broken inferences, non-sequiturs, and bloody analogies strewn on the road. But look I must. In doing so I feel pity and sadness at the loss of another misled mind that swerved into oncoming science, saying to myself, “if only they had been secured by …

The Eyes Have it

topdogPet Portraits 2 Comments

I’ve been buried in pet portrait commissions all of November with absolutely no time to blog. Tonight, I’m taking a moment to post a portrait from way back in May of this year, and I’ll have more to say about my busy November once I finalize my commissions. The thing I love most about painting pet portraits is when I can successfully convey the personality of the pet. It depends a lot on the photos …