May 16, 2009
Finally, finished the big Billy oil painting yesterday. Not sure it's good enough. Going to let it dry and take another look. Kathy is recommending I start another one.

Also worked on a sequence for Mickey Free called "Friend Or Foe?":

There is a point when you cross a wide valley where you have committed to the crossing and when you get to the middle you are the most vulnerable to attack since you are so exposed. And, when you see the dust coming, you don't know if it's friend or foe. In this case, it's both. These are Rurales and they round up Mickey Free and intend to hang him. There is only one problem: there are no trees for miles, so a Mexico City Major riding with the Rurales decides to just shoot the "gringo".

I have another version of this scene, with dusk descending on the foreground which I'll finish at lunch and post here.

Meanwhile, my 10 sketches have evolved into this:

Loose washes overlaid with red and brown penwork. Very rococo. I sure have low self-esteem about these images. Gee, I wonder what a standup guy has to say about this?

"I'm a great believer in low self-esteem. The only people I find that have high self-esteem are criminals and actors. And if you have low self-esteem and you always assume you're the dumbest person in the room, you'll work harder."
—Jay Leno