Not the 80's hairdo

I just went down into my studio to check on my current painting (I do that occasionally to see if there is more I need to work on) and did my routine scan the floor. If you've made your way around my blog, you know that I have my studio in the basement and have found clues that with careful deduction have led me to believe that there are rats in the basement. Each day when I go down there I scan the bare concrete and dust floor and look for anything unusual. There have been some mysterious items such as peanut shells and disturbed tools as well as some not so mysterious clues like squeaking, pellets, and oh yeah, a dead rat that have all contributed to my belief that there are rats down there.  

Today I noticed a strand of fuzz on the ground next to the stack of crates that I use as an easel. There is a small space between the 2 bottom crates on the floor, and the fuzz was coming out of the crack. While the basement is fairly dirty with piles of pink insulation fuzz hanging out of the unfinished walls, I noticed this particular piece of fuzz because it was laying right where I stand while I'm painting. 

Upon closer inspection, I found that it was not just a piece of fuzz, but a fresh pink rat tail wearing the fuzz like a cape. My first thought was to wonder if rats lose their tails like a lizard will drop it's tail if it's caught. My next thought was to leave and not go back into the studio today. 

So, I'm going to work on some other things until I muster the effort to go down and clean it up. 

Time in: 3:00pm

To do: 

photograph "Surprise" and Rebecca

check Rebecca- right eye- does it look cross-eyed?

add new pieces to Website

West Prize submission- upload new pictures

website work: add media and availability