Party Animals

Some of you may recall this photo I took of Spencer and me on my birthday in March of 2020.  COVID had just blown up big time with the Austin stay-at-home order issued four days prior.  The day before I had stood in line at the grocery store, everyone’s crash course in social distancing, to stock up on provisions and while there spied a lone package of H-E-B cupcakes and thus the inspiration for how I was going to mark this memorable birthday came to me.

However, a photo just wasn’t enough; I wanted MORE.   Enter my lovely and talented friend, Leslie Bonnell.  Leslie is one of the most creative people I know.  For years she owned a wonderful little shop on South First St. called Stitch Lab where she taught sewing classes as well as offered unique fabrics and notions for sale.  If you had a vision, Leslie could help you realize it.  And she did, and still does, for legions of Austinites.  While I once had a vision for a caftan, which I regret not acting on because let’s face it, the idea of walking around in this 100 degree plus heat and catching a breeze between your knees sounds pretty good, Leslie was able to help me realize this one:  

I love everything about this.  She captured the looks on our faces, which pretty much summed up our take on the then current state of affairs, perfectly.  The detail is exquisite and the background she chose is spot-on in scale and color palette and the MCM motif is perfection.  Look closer and you’ll notice that the round designs resemble the popular depiction of the coronavirus; brilliant! 

The software that she used to create this digital masterpiece is called Procreate which is designed to be used on an iPad. And while it’s a pretty amazing piece of kit, it takes someone who knows how to tap into its full capability to create a piece of artwork like this.  For the record, I tried using it and created the digital equivalent of a sixth grader’s art that gets taped to the refrigerator.

I’ve said before that I want every piece of artwork in my home to have a backstory associated with it; where it came from, who created it, what it means to me, and this one has several.  It depicts a point in time that seemed like it was going to last an eternity but is now only a memory, replaced by more pressing crises that command our attention.  It immortalizes a beloved companion who is not going to live forever, a fact that becomes a little more evident with each passing day.  And it was created by someone whose friendship I treasure and makes me think, how did I ever have the good fortune to have this person in my life?

After I’m gone and the contents of my home have been scattered to parts unknown someone browsing a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store will see this and pay a princely sum to have it hanging in their home and give it a story of their own.  Who knows?  Perhaps Spencer and I will become an internet meme or whatever they’ll be calling them then.