Dancing With Dust

September 14, 2011

Rained last night, not hard, but as the Navajos say, a "female rain." As the sun set, sat outside on the patio with my fave female and enjoyed the cool. Actually turned off the AC for the first time in 95 days. That must have saved at least seventy-five cents.

It was so cool this morning I went for a walk at nine. This would have been suicide a mere two days ago. Or, at least incredibly uncomfortable.

Worked all morning in the office on design issues. Went over back issues, from 2005, that were surprisingly good. Sometimes we forget how much work went into those older issues. Classic stuff. Great photo issues, wonderful zane (Honkytonk Sue in every issue!).

Got a haircut from Bev at 12:30 and caught up on all the local gossip (hilarity at the Payson Elk's Club karaoke night, she's going up to an elk camp on the rim tonight. Her nephews each drew a tag for elk), then went home and had lunch and went out to the studio to work on a couple more ideas for my centennial paintings series.

As the Duke of Dust I would be remiss if I didn't include at least one dust devil, so worked on this scene:

Didn't get too far, but love the subtlety of the trunk of the dust devil. Note to self: DO NOT ADD EVEN A STROKE to this. Yesterday afternoon I finished a Billy portrait, "Here's Looking At You Kid":

Dave Daiss came up from Sonoita yesterday and we went to lunch at Tonto Bar & Grill. Got the full report on the magazine from Cochise County. One criticism: "Why are you publishing that Mexican comic strip?"

Where is that coming from? Mickey Free.

Oh. Si. Yo soy muy guilty. Lo siento, muchachos. I did push the Spanish pretty hard on a couple episodes. Evidently upset a couple cowboys on the border. Gee, I wonder what ol' Margie has to say about that?

"I have never been able to accept the two great laws of humanity—that you're always being suppressed if you're inspired and always being pushed into the corner if you're exceptional. I won't be cornered and I won't stay suppressed."
—Margaret Anderson