Mr. May Mouse, 6 x 6 inches, oil on panel

This little fellow was too clever to be trapped alive. Believe me, I tried. The internet is full of ideas to capture a mouse unharmed and the hardware stores offer no-kill traps. Unfortunately, he was causing so much trouble in the kitchen that my tree hugging tendencies quickly disappeared and my farm boy roots took over. It was the old fashioned mouse trap that did the trick. After thinking about this guy, I decided to honor his death with a painting. I wanted it to be quiet and austere, almost monochromatic. Sorry Mr. May Mouse, the dark chocolate was the last straw.

Melt Line by Ron Donoughe

Sometimes the best paintings are right in front of us. I found this melted patch of snow as I marched towards the forest to paint something like I've done before. But there it was, an abstract area of light and color broken by horizontal shadows. It wasn't part of my plan. There was already an idea in my head about what I was going to do. I suppose that's the lesson [to myself] – approach every painting with an open mind. I'm proud that I stopped to make a painting that wasn't like all the others I've done. I was standing in 24 inches of snow on a 15 degree day. I seriously did not want this painting to be a dog. The light was just too beautiful for that to happen. I went with my gut instinct and used the simple, most obvious idea – one which was right under my feet.

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