A few days ago, a friend of mine (who doesn’t use the Net) called and asked me to do her a favor. She had bought a fantasy painting at an antique store and wanted to find out if it’s an original. She asked me to track down the artist’s web site and send her an email and ask if the signed painting is, indeed, hers.
As a result, I had fun email conversation with Marianne Plumridge, the fantasy artist, who was almost positive that she never sold that painting and it was stored somewhere in her house. Finally, her husband (an award-winning fantasy illustrator, himself) remembered that she did sell the painting a while ago (when they were at a fantasy convention in Albany) when “a little old man of slightly timid aspect turned up at the last moment and bought it.” Which fit in with what the antique dealer told Joan about getting the painting as part of the estate sale of a man who collected fantasy paintings.
Here’s an image of “Kitnapped.”

Now, you have to understand that my friend Joan loves cats and has taken in several strays. She’s also a vocal feminist and has fun with the rituals that I do. Luckily, her live-in boyfriend is easy-going about Joan’s obsessions, although he’s not sure that Kitnapped is what he wants to look at all the time hanging over the mantle in the living room. Heh.
So, now I’m working on an unveiling ritual for the painting, which certainly will have to involve swords and fur. 🙂

Well, his name is anyway.
When my son b!X was about four years old, he decided that he was going to grow up to be a space moving van driver, and his interest in space exploration has not waned. Check out his new weblog, The One True b!X’s Mars or Bust, Wherein the one-time wannabe outer space moving van driver (helping to move families into orbit) engages in part-time obsessing over exploration of the Red Planet.
Man, I love my kids!! They’re just about the most interesting people I know.