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tales & legends

It's been awhile since I've contributed to Illustration Friday – both the size of the mob (over 420 for this week's topic) and its mentality (all things cuddly and computer-generated) being somewhat off-putting – but this weekend's trip to Montreal got me some face time with an old friend, a Cheshire Cat I painted for my sister Rachel a long time ago (the dust on top is practically embedded).
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"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked ... Stella was in prime form this weekend, a joker-acrobat pouring forth her unique blend of complaints, demands and ha-ha deceptions. Fortunately I had a big bag of presents to bribe/threaten her with, although most of it was clothes. Notice my feline friend in the background.



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Almost every visit there's a point where we end up in some kind of diner. Why? Because four year-olds are easily bought off with grapefruit juice and fries. Oh best friend, why does your price-tag always include extra ketchup?


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One of the more fun things I gave to Stella this weekend was a dvd of Astro Boy episodes. My thinking behind the purchase had been something along the lines of: Let's have a little break from Dora and pretty ponies. Of course, Astro Boy is a bit dated and retro, and the whole thing could have backfired, but Stella seemed to dig it.



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On Friday I managed to finish The Battle of Algiers. This is one of those now-I'll-know-what-they're-talking-about kind of viewing choices, in that you know before hand that you'll be consuming a cultural reference rather than entertaining yourself. Because the film, while lacking the special-effects means to be too repellent, is not entertaining. It is a grim, march-step look at the birth, defeat and reincarnation of a revolution. There are no good guys and bad guys: just different sides terrorizing each other. The leader of the French paratroopers, Col. Mathieu, succeeds for a time at reducing the entire exercise to a logic problem, but the end of the movie turns this upside down, with the victory of the irrational crowd.

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And finally, the amaryllis ... C didn't want to bother with this but I held firm on the point, and then carefully nurtured it, and I feel its present bloom is a vindication of my choice for some quiet beauty, however fleeting, around the house (C wanted to spend the money on ring dings and red wine ... quelle surprise).
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Comments

  1. Unknown3:37 pm

    Oh my! I love the Cheshire Cat. That's perfect for IF. Hey, I think this if the first photo I've seen of you. Great to put a face to your wonderful witty voice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElizT6:48 pm

    Nice, all of it.

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  3. when skies are grey7:42 pm

    All the more reason for you to contribute, mix it up a bit!
    Cool Cheshire, sir.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah9:15 am

    That cat is scary...

    Re: your comment on my blog - I haven't changed at all, but perhaps you made the mistake of thinking that my online persona is all there is to me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:08 am

    Cute pic in the Restaurant of you and your best friend ! :) The cat is really cool ! A trip to Montreal, I hope to do that sometime.It will have to be on the list of things to do.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Susan Schwake1:16 pm

    wonderful post. :)
    oh it's a hard decision... ringdings or amaryllis. they are both so beautiful of course. but one tips over all the time and makes a mess and the other just makes a mess of your hips.
    cute niece!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Diandra Mae10:35 am

    Ooh, I love me some Cheshire. What a fantastic leer and such vibrant color! I still really dig the texture of your work. nice.

    (I think you have done your niece a great favor by introducing her to Astro Boy. I am hoping to convince our son that there is something better than the mass-market licensing a la Backyardigans and such...but I don't have to worry about that just yet.)

    ReplyDelete

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