Note: This is a Juicy/ cat lady post. Read at your own risk.

As far as I know when I was growing up, my mom never took our pets to have their teeth cleaned. They were pets after all.

A few years ago I worked at a vet clinic, and while my gathering of data was not scientific, I'd say about half of the pets we saw had their teeth cleaned every year or so. I had no idea there were that many animals out there with pearly whites.

Assisting teeth cleanings was one of my least favorite tasks at the clinic. Each animal was put into a drug-induced haze and they'd sway back and forth while the high pitched water pick scraped away years of plaque from their teeth. It smelled bad and a lot of times they'd lose some of their teeth. It was gross and made me feel sad. I'd think I shouldn't be here. Not for this.

They say regular teeth cleanings can prolong your pet's life, so when my vet told me Juicy needed a cleaning, I began to fret. While I know she's just a cat, she is my cat, and if I plan on her being around til I'm 85, I should take her in, right? At the same time, it's a lot of money for something that seems both risky and silly. As far as I can tell, animals have been getting along just fine without dental appointments.

While I consider taking her in to have the cleaning (and quietly save up because my love for her will win out), I've purchased her some dental care treats in the meantime. While dental care treats sound like an oxymoron, I can only hope they're helping.

I do know one thing- she's crazy about them. Whenever she hears any resemblance of plasticy packaging being opened, she runs to the kitchen and sits up on a chair. I turn around to see her huge black pupils entranced on whatever I'm holding.

Although the treats are only two calories, I know her body isn't lacking in the food department. It's hard to deny her wild-eyed face, though, and the fact that she's begun to claw at me if I try to pass her without giving her any (out of control). If it's keeping her teeth from rotting out, however, I'm happy to oblige her.

This was one of two pieces I showed in the group exhibition

Amalgam

at the Fluorescent Gallery May 4. I made this painting earlier in the year when I was listening to the radio incessantly, specifically pop radio stations. The title of the piece is also the title of a song:

I painted the black and the red-orange on top of a plasticy floral motel bedspread, a material I found fitting. It is, but not excluded to being, a tribute to Rihanna's red-orange hair.

Here are some more detailed shots of the Letter-Writing Boxes I made for the Salvage Show (see post below).

It's been a while since the Salvage Show, but I never shared my final pieces.

Last year for the same exhibition, I had wanted to make a bunch of boxes out of salvaged wood, paint parts of them, and display them in a big heap on the floor.

Then I realized how time consuming making one box is (and how I like the idea of building, but not the reality of it); I only made one for last year's show.

This year, I wanted to veer from the same idea. I still wanted to make boxes, but I wanted them to have more significance.

I've been writing letters lately and aspire to write more, so I decided to make my boxes about that very thing.

I made five boxes out of old bead board. I painted them different color schemes I enjoy- gold and black, maroon and red, red and black, etc. I sanded one and didn't paint it at all. I didn't add lids or covers to them. I like how the bead board has slits in the edges to that you can place papers in them. I wanted the contents of the boxes to be exposed, to remind the owner not to neglect its contents. They are boxes made for pencils, envelopes, stationery, letters from friends and family...

Here is my artist statement from the show:

“Sometimes when I put things in drawers and boxes in an effort to be more organized, I tend to forget all about them (until I move). I designed these boxes out of salvaged beadboard to display stationery I’ve been collecting and (my long lost friends) No. 2 pencils. My motive is to entice myself (& you) to write a faraway friend a letter. I want to honor this lost but magical form of communication, just as I wanted to give this wood a new beginning.”

I finished the Juicy Jangles screenprint a few weeks ago. I was toying with adding more to it, but after sitting on it, I decided to keep it simple.

She is a reductive four-color-run print in an edition of 28 on various colors of 14 x 11" paper.

This is the first screenprint I've made in about five years and so to celebrate, she is only $25 unframed. I've listed one so far on Etsy.

I've finally gotten around to listening to Hurry Up We're Dreaming (M83), been driving around to synth beats and epic songs that make your insides hurt, in a good way.

Naturally, it makes me want to listen to The Moody Blues.
 

I have not shared here that I received a Golden Press Card Award for the illustration I painted for The Metro Pulse a couple of weeks ago. It's an award given by the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists, and I received an Award of Merit (Second Place) in the Art Illustration category.

It's an honor as an artist to receive a journalism award. At the awards ceremony, I sat with Metro Pulse writers and folks from WUOT. (Jack Neely would have been sitting at my table if he didn't have another function the same night. Bummer!) I entered a world that evening that I know very little about but have much admiration for. It was a lot of fun to be a part of.

Hopefully, I'll have a chance in the future to do some more illustrations like this. (You need an illustration? You like my work? You have money? Email me!)

I have to thank Travis Gray, the art director at the Metro Pulse for asking me do the illustration in the first place and for giving me the freedom to go forward with my vision for it. I made the painting in about three days, and though it was new to work under such a tight deadline, it was a lot of fun.

And now I have a silver-lined certificate to show for it.

I'm in the process of listing these on Etsy every weekday. Here are two from this week.



Preserves No. 102

Preserves No. 103

And here's a friendly reminder of what their all about:

Each of these mason jars are hand-painted with acrylic on salvaged wood and sealed with polyurethane. Their dimensions are 7.25" x 5.5"

The wood was donated to the Knox Heritage Salvage Program instead of being thrown into a landfill. Knox Heritage is a non-profit committed to preserving historic homes and buildings and conserving natural spaces in East Tennessee.
Each piece in the "Preserves" series is hand-painted with acrylic and then varnished. On the back, they are signed, numbered, and include a hole for easy hanging on a nail.