Little bear

In 1994, my daughter won a trip to the MTV music awards in Berlin.  while there, i purchased a W. R. Case pocket knife for my father.  He always kept a sharp edge on a knife.  I got it back a few weeks ago and tried my hand at whittling.  This is the result.

Evil Arrives

     Off in the vast distance, the cool blue planet could be seen against the darkness of space.  As the large ship approached, the land masses became more apparent.  The sensors could pick up the fact that it was a young planet and life had only just begun.  It was a virtual garden of Eden with not even a hint of pollution.  Green and lush with just enough mist in the air to catch the sun's yellow rays and turn it into a million rainbow prisms in every direction.
     The crew was excited about finding a safe haven.  They had been cooped up in the ship for a long time and were becoming restless.  Cabin fever was beginning to make it's way into the large ship.  Suez, the first mate, and his crew were intelligent beings, but something was missing.  They had no problem running the ship and carrying on everyday tasks.  Being functional was more than enough to survive and even thrive.  There was a glum and depressed feeling on the ship and Suez could not put his finger on what was wrong.
     All that took a back seat as the ship entered the atmosphere.  There was a slight shudder under his feet and then everything was smooth again.  None of the scanners picked up any life forms.  That was strange, for just a few hours ago in space, there had been a few to show up on the long range scanner.  Perhaps they were on the other side of the planet.  They can look for them tomorrow.  Now is a good time to land and let everyone off.  A few hours of solid dirt under their feet should lift everyones spirits.
     Captain Natas was absolutely exhillerated to be going down the ramp.  He had put his favorite, Sedah, in charge while he was off on this adventure.  They had been in these situations before and looked as if they were going to have a grand old time.  Now that the ship had come to a stop, that old nagging feeling was coming back.  Suez just wished that he could remember what was bothering him.  He felt that if he followed the captain, it just might come back to him.
     Natas had been around from the beginning of time.  Even though he was advanced in age he, as with all immortals, looked as if he were in his thirties.  His energy was boundless also.  He walked tirelessly through the night.  Not once did he stop to rest.  As he walked, the ground gave way to a smooth footpath in front of him.  Suez could tell that Natas knew that he was following him, but he did not seem to care.  It was as if he wanted someone watching him at times, just like an actor on a stage.
     As the sun came up in the east you could see that this planet was indeed the garden of eden.  The golden rays of the sun covered everything with their warm yellow light.  All that wonderful forest, as far as you could see, with not a building in sight.  This was a pristine wilderness that had not been spoiled by any civilization. 
     As he came to a spectacular clearing, with a beautiful tree standing all alone in the center, Natas stopped.  He studied the terrain and found a small bush off to the side.  It was no surprise to Suez when Natas changed his shape to that of a serpent.  He was a master of illusion and had taken many forms over time.  Suez could see that he was waiting for something and it soon became apparent what that was.  A man and woman walked out of the forest into the clearing.  Neither was clothed, but it did not seem to bother them.  The man stayed behind to look at some new plants that had just come up.  The woman continued on to the tree in the center of the clearing.  As she gazed intently at the fruit, Natas allowed himself to be seen by the woman.  Suez was too far away to hear the conversation, but he could see Natas charming the female.  She was intrigued by the fruit and he took his tail and gently pushed it over to her and smiled, showing his beautiful white fangs.  The smile was big and bright, but the eyes were cold and dark.  she was so entralled by his smile and her desire for the fruit, she did not see the dead soul behind the eyes.  As she timidly put the fruit to her mouth and took a small bite, her demeanor changed.  No longer was she a shy timid innocent.  She became a hard mature worldly woman in an instant.
     At the moment of the bite, the man stood up straight, with a start.  He knew that something had been changed forever.  He rushed over to the woman, wildly thrashing about and waving his arms.  After he calmed down a bit then she offered the fruit to him.  He reluctantly bit into the fruit.  At that moment lightening flashed thunder rolled and the sky grew dark as night.  Innocence was broken and dissappeared like water upon the sand.  It would never be the same.  They looked at each other and knew that they were naked.  As they looked for something to cover up with, Natas slithered away.  Suez could tell that he was delirous with joy.  He was a proud being, full of himself.
     As Natas rushed back to the ship, suez could hardly keep up with him.  Suez had seen him excited before, but never this pumped up.  The closer to the ship, the more that Suez remembered.  He had followed Natas blindly.   Even though he was immortal, he was not immune to the charm and deception of Natas.  Natas had convinced him and thousands of others to follow him in a revolt.  Natas was so much in love with himself that he felt that he was above all.  Even though he was created, he felt as if he were the creator and craved the power and glory.  He was sent to this planet as an exile from the heavens.  He had not accepted that he had been defeated and wanted to continue the war here.

Turkey Barn

12x18" stretched canvas painted with oil.

Cotton

This is for all the cotton farmers that have had a hard dry year this year.  Maybe the recent rains will allow you to have several of these bales in your fields.

The Tedders

Mr. & Mrs Tedder in front of 3 plywood panels that I painted and installed for them.