Jala Pfaff

Saturday, November 6, 2010

White 3...and a pile o' kitties

The third white painting, 6" x 6", oil and cold wax on museum panel.

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Behold...the kitty pile.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Thursday, November 4, 2010

White 2

Oil and cold wax on museum panel, 6" x 6". The second white one.

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In the state of Bihar, India.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I've made eight small minimalist abstract white panels, oil & cold wax. They're each 6" x 6". I'm not sure yet in what configuration they'll appear, so I'll introduce them here one by one. When I figure out their configurations, I'll show them together and post a price.

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And what else is white? And who has a new best buddy?

Gadjo already has several nicknames from me. "Mouse" is one. And he looks like a little spider monkey, so "Monkey" has become his most frequent nickname, along with "Hanuman" (Hindu simian god), "Monkeypod" (after the Monkeypod tree), and "Monkey Puzzle" (again, after a type of tree).

Rumi and Gadjo are hysterical together. They wrestle like crazed puppies, including loud growly sound effects (from Gadjo) and mock fatal bites. Then eventually they get tired and nod off together, after a bit of mutual grooming.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Presenting Gadjo

We are safe from fire and didn't have to evacuate, though the evacuation area stopped just five blocks from our house.

The Husband showed up yesterday with a big, unauthorized surprise: this little muffin, from the Longmont Humane Society. After our tragic experience with Basho, I had decided against getting another.

But if you saw this little creature show up at your door, would you be able to say no?

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, October 29, 2010

Where there's smoke...

Here we go again... I can't believe how many fires we've had in just a couple of months. This one's the closest one yet to our house. People just five blocks away have been evacuated. So far, we're still fine and un-evacuated. The air quality is horrible, and since my respiratory system suffered so much in India, I seem to be extra sensitive to the smoke and ash in the air now.

That's The Husband's photo. That park is two blocks from us and that's when the first smoke started pouring over the mountains (the mountains start six blocks from our house).

Send us some good luck like we had last time to remain safe and not have to evacuate!

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I thought you might like to see Lynx's and Miss Lemon's lovely cataloons:

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Basho

Oil and cold wax, 16" x 16." Sold.

Painted the second night we had Basho the beautiful kitten. His coloring (minus a wink of brilliant blue eyes) and the poet we named him for both contributed as inspiration for this painting, which features calligraphic marks perhaps evocative of Japanese poetry.

I want to thank you all so very much for your warm thoughts and consoling words. We are both terribly sad and wish he were still with us. It helps immensely, though, to have you all out there whose hearts are also touched by him and his story.

Both photos in this post are inspired by Basho's beautiful coloring.

We have now named two cats after Buddhists (Roshi and Basho) and they both died young. In a bittersweet, laughing-through-tears kind of way, I wonder if that was a mistake...perhaps Buddhists take this life just a little too lightly.

Our other kitties were unfortunately never allowed to meet Basho, as he was in isolation for his illness. But The Husband said that Rumi caught a glimpse one time and looked really excited about a potential new playmate. And I know how much Miss Lemon would have loved finding a new baby in her house: every time we've gotten a kitten, Miss Lemon finds it is her duty to immediately slam it to the ground and give it a really, really good washing. Many, many times a day.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Monday, October 25, 2010

The saddest news

Friends: the sweetest, sickest little kitten, who was with us just a few days, has died this evening.

I am so sad--and so angry with myself for not bringing him to the emergency vet in time, in spite of the fact that the vets kept telling me on the phone that he would recover and that it was not an urgent situation, as long as he was eating and drinking all right. The worst is that both The Husband and I were out for an hour or so this evening and he died alone, which makes me so furious I don't know what to do with myself.

I hadn't blogged about him until today because I was afraid to "jinx" his health when he seemed so touch-and-go. Then yesterday he had a pretty good afternoon...

Friends, please give your kitties an extra hug tonight and pray that his dear little soul has moved on to live in a healthier kitten body somehow.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Introducing Basho

Introducing Basho, the Siamese-Snowshoe-mix haiku poet, newest member of our family.

He is about four months old, from the Humane Society, and needs your healing wishes sent his way, as he is very sick with URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) and quite a pitiful little thing right now.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Friday, October 22, 2010

India transport

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It was very dark out during our walk the other night and Jazzy was rooting around in the dirt in a neighbor's yard...I assumed for a stick or cracker crumbs (they have little kids) or something. I was in for a bit of a shock when we got home under the deck light...