Day 15: Man in the Moon

I love love love the films of George Méliès. There are quite a few available at the Internet Archive. I’ve assigned them on several occasions to my students at MississippiGovernor’s School, where the class has created soundtracks for silent films, filmed their own material (with the inclusion of some of the nifty special effects pioneered by Méliès) and edited public domain footage to create some rather sweet, goofy projects. It makes me grin to see 17 and 18 year olds get fired up about silent film.  George and Buster, you are still loved.

Length of Feather:  3 1/2”    

In memory of my father.           

Day 14: Timothy Ambrose Wallace

Timothy is the fourth-oldest of the Wallace kindle (kindle being the term for a litter of kittens: kindle of kittens. A very nifty collective noun that is so much more than an electronic reader. Work it into one of your conversations today.).  While he’s not the oldest, he is the biggest handful. He is named in honor of Theophilus Ignatius Mulligatawny (Tim for short), who is also a fourth-born son, and a handful in his own right. Little Tim thinks the world of his uncle Theophilus and has been known to stow away on just the sorts of airships he will one day captain himself. 

Length of Feather:  3 1/2”              

SOLD

Day 13: Feather Doodle Dandy

I used to doodle a lot more than I do now, but, thinking about it, I bet I’m in common company. In school I doodled in the margins of my notes. Writing helps me remember things; my active pencil helped listen and retain. At home we had a notepad next to our avocado green rotary phone for taking messages. Fantastic, doodling filled pages during long phone conversations. During my doctoral studies I switched to a laptop for note taking because I type much more quickly than I write. My notes became more extensive, organized and neat. But the doodling is lost when one shifts to electronic devices. I refuse to give up my paper calendar, which does still sport the occasional doodle, especially on holidays. When on the phone discussing travel plans doodles appear--shapes and lines radiating from the words and numbers on the pages.

Length of Feather: 4 1/2”               

Day 12: Chester

Chester enjoys long walks around the neighborhood, bacon-flavored foods, and watching old episodes of “Leave it to Beaver” and “Lassie” on TV Land. Someday, he’d like to share his life with a girl like Lassie, but until then he’s keeping busy building dioramas of his favorite episodes, which he gives to friends and family as Christmas presents each year.

Length of Feather: 4 1/2”               

Day 11: Birds!

I finally arrived home well after 9PM this evening and needed to take out the recycling (which they only pick up every other week; I didn’t manage to put out last time around, thus it is quite full and shouldn’t be ignored tonight), and get the painting done, photographed and blogged before midnight. So today I give you silhouettes of birds, which I was able to execute fairly quickly because of the limited color palate (Black! Black is the new black! As I type “black” again it is starting to sound and look less like a color and more like something a duck would blurt out if you were to tuck it under your arm and give it a quick, gentle squeeze).  

Black! The batteries in my camera died, so I had to take today's photo with my phone. That's what happens when you wait until the last minute, kids. 

Length of Feather:  10”                   

SOLD

Day 10: Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit!

It’s the first day of the month and I remembered to make “rabbit rabbit rabbit” the first thing I uttered when I woke up this morning. It’s a British thing, and it means that I should have good luck for the rest of the month. I picked the habit up from one of my major doctoral professors. She also started me on coffee. Oh, the addiction! 

Length of Feather:  5 1/4”              

SOLD

Day 9: Neville Potemkin Wallace IV

Mr. Wallace introduces himself with his middle initial rather than using his given second name of Potemkin, which he finds to be a bit over the top for most social occasions. He is a tidy banker and dutiful father to the litter of eight kittens who have recently joined the Wallace household. On Sundays he usually attends early service with the Missus and the kindle so that he has more of the day left for his favorite part of the week (Amelia is savvy and supportive, and when the little ones are behaving, handles them on her own, packing Neville a picnic and sweeping him out the door towards the airfield).  He is a member of Her Majesty’s Aeronautic Research Collegium (H.M.A.R.C. -- No claws allowed.). It is from there that his friend and colleague Theophilus Ignatius Mulligatawny (Tim for short) sets forth on his great adventures.

Length of Feather:  4 1/2”