josie

He's certainly getting up there in age, and it's risky with the cap going down, but... he's the kind of player you shell out for. They don't call him "The Magician" for nothin'!

Haven't been on in a few days but d4rksabre told me about this- so here's a belated congratulations!!!! Best wishes to both of you! So d4rksabre and I got our own apartment. No roommates, just us. And we have an alligator shaped toothbrush holder. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is.

Free tornado firewood = a plus. We had a storm system come through that had previous spawned an F5 that took out Van Wert, Ohio. We found tons of receipts from Van Wert area stores and christmas ornaments, oddly enough. We hang a few of them on our tree every year in memory.

Either balls of steel or utter stupidity. I would've needed new upholstery.

I cannot imagine being there right now. I grew up in a part of Ohio that was frequented by twisters, and had a town/school flattened not 5 minutes from my house. Got hit by one when I was in a van years ago too. And those were little F-1 to F-3's. Those things... once you hear the sound, you never un-hear it. That thing was a monster. Some people I've talked to said the weatherman was telling them to evacuate, because staying unless you were underground was a death sentence. Such a shame it hit those schools. I keep saying why can't one flatten Westboro Baptist?

Waha! So they are. Cool beans.

His job as comedic relief is probably more important than him actually playing hockey or smacking someone silly with his big ol' ham fists. Being ridiculous keeps that grim reaper in the locker room at bay. Besides, I look forward to painting him photobombing more Sabres someday. So, yay John Scott!

haha oh dear dear dear. I was expecting a nekkid lady commish...

YayyyyYYyYyyYy!!!!!! :D Seriously Ink, thanks a ton. I'll paint you something as thanks if you want :) now, now that d4rksabre's taken care of... my turn to find something new...

It makes me really happy to hear you say that. I know the overwhelming majority of those involved in the racing industry have good hearts, it's just the few bad apples that stain the reputation. The vet tech is pretty amazing, what little I've seen of it. Some of those barns for high level racers are just... beyond stunning. And nicer than any house I'll ever own! I've done some rather low tech vet assisting with like... tooth removal on a 30 year old mare... Those therapies sound awesome. It's really cool you're involved and passionate :)

Never had the money to ride consistently/own a horse, so volunteering was my way of learning more/being around an animal I love. Even if it is a lot of ###### shoveling! haha as a kid I had a complete obsession with Man o' War. Went to the Kentucky Horse Park as a birthday trip once and have always vowed that if I ever have the chance to own a horse (granted, if it's male) that's what it will be named. Agree on the intelligence. They're a... spirited breed. Yeah, the more I learn about the horse owning industry, the more words like "sell" and "auction" scare me. Oh, and my opinion on the Amish has changed completely. We've gotten a few who were treated like old broken down machinery. Those rescues hardly know how to handle compassion and gentle treatment. It is so great to see them put on weight and lift their heads up.

haha I fold. well played, sir. well played.

Do you know of any good articles/sources about the overseas doping? That's stuff I want to learn about. I know a little about the industry here but not much.

haha aw... that's an awesome job though. Why'd she quit? I volunteer at Begin Again Horse Rescue in Lima. It's small, but it's the one thing I look forward to every week. I do a lot of mucking and grooming. We save from kill pens and get a lot of neglect cases (and a lot of mini ponies, for whatever reason) and I think the thoroughbreds are the saddest ones to me. We check the lip for the number tattoo and then look up their record on a database. We've had a couple that weren't bad racers, for finger lakes level at least. If she's interested, I can give you the site/email! Might be a long drive. There's definitely more around WNY though.

Quit horsin' around. I'll have to do some studying (might be better at it this year- I've been volunteering at horse rescue that gets a lot of ex racer thoroughbreds) but seriously, Normandy Invasion is a great name for a horse. As is Fear the Kitten. I've got to saddle up and make some stable choices, so I don't stirrup any nagging regrets from last year.

Nothing like a super sassy black lady yelling to start my Tuesday on a good note. One could even say she was... spicy.

One of these days I gotta redo that for you. That photo reference was tough to work from and I don't think I made the greatest piece out of it. Then again, both times I tried painting Gil for you (digital and traditional) I was in the middle of a massive creative block and could barely draw a straight line. Expect some vintage Sabres from me soon. :)

Oh yes. I made 5 of each (with john scott and w/o john scott, had some rather... vocal people on reddit tell me how I was ruining the picture with john scott) to begin. If things sell out, I'll order more. Currently just testing the quality of the prints I ordered aaand I'll go from there!

Awesome! Thanks a ton! I am currently in the process of setting up a store myself, actually! Should have some prints and all ready to go by the end of the week.

That would be great! Thank you! I looked at Mr. Cravotta's work and did some snooping at NHL jobs and it seems everything is taken. But that's ok, if anyone was interested in just a couple commissions I'd be happy!

This sounds like the makings of a really disgusting cocktail... "and top with a Cherry for garnish..."

Haha sour grapes to sour milk...

That would be great. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my idea of a dream job to paint portraits of hockey players. Or work for a team. I'm definitely looking for a new situation. Thank you so much for his name! I'll muster up some courage and drop him a line soon!

Thank you! haha Oh I wish. Next year. Next year for sure. I was actually between doing the one I did, that one, and one of him blowing bubblegum while stretching on the bench. Or the one where they're screwing his helmet back on/fixing the tongue malfunction for Halpern's sake. So many possibilities!

Kinda been running around like a ping pong ball on acid all morning. This is just unreal. What a class act that guy is. And I'll tell you, having posted art for Red Wings people, Buffalo fans are by far the coolest people to talk to/deal with. I cannot wipe the smile off my face right now. Just.. thanks. Everyone. Wow.