Six degrees of separation. . .

I've never been to the Academy Awards and doubt that I will ever get there, but it's fun to know that someone close to your family was not only there on Sunday night but actually played a part in the winning of one of the Oscars!

That's my "surrogate son-in-law", Jon Ostrin, holding John Legend's "Oscar", just won as "Best Original Song" for Legend's and Common's incredibly moving song, "Glory".  Jon is the husband of daughter Andrea's half sister (and my "surrogate daughter")  Allison, and works as Legend's personal
sound engineer.  So he was backstage overseeing the sound system as Legend ad Common brought the audience to its feet with their stirring rendition of the song they wrote for the movie "Selma" about that historic march.

Jon has traveled the world with JL, as he calls him, this past year.  He was on the bridge with him in Selma, they've been all over Europe, been to Australia and Korea.  I know, because I play "Words With Friends" with Jon on a regular basis and every once in a while I will text him and say "Where are you, Jon?"  iPhones don't differentiate about continents.  We take turns winning and losing, whether he's in Korea or back in the USA.

Jon posted this photo on his Facebook page with the caption, "I've got the best gig!".    Sure looks like it, Jon.

I'm back in the animal kingdom. . . .

I think I've found my niche in the art world.  Michaelangelo painted ceilings.  Andy Warhol painted soup cans. I paint animals.  Mostly dogs and cats with a bird or two thrown in here and there.

My newest art class at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens is taught by a wonderful artist named Mai Yap, who is determined to get me to slow down when I paint.  This session I am dutifully trying to master the art of going slow, paying attention to details, stop turning out three canvases to everyone else in the class's one.  I marvel at my very talented classmates ability to spend weeks on perfecting one leaf.  As my friend Paul likes to say, "Patience is not Joan's strong suit."

Max Binder

Last week my niece Vicki called me with a sob in her voice that her beloved dog, Max, had just passed away and would I paint his portrait for her and her husband Larry.  Max's photo arrived via e-mail and I started sketching right away. With class coming on Thursday, I knew I would have to tell Mai that patience will have to wait for a week.  I've got to paint Max.  And paint I did, with my classmates marveling once again that I started and finished in the 3 hour session.

Below are just a few of my "animal kingdom".  What can I tell you.  I can't help it.  I love animals.
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Louie Ostrin

Apollo Sotelo

Leo Pantine-Parrish

J.W. Rosenblatt

Layla Anker

Newman

Jake & Zoey Anker

Punim

Charcoal of Bodhi Ostrin

The Anhinga

Max Ceglia (done with palette knife)

Wasabi Spector (done with a palate knife)