"El Chupacabra"
3" by 4"
Oil on Gessobord













I realized I'd been so caught up in those weird new colors for my still lifes that I'd gone and neglected the weird stuff.

Here's El Chupacabra for ya.

This is directly from the *original* description from March of 1995 in Puerto Rico where the beast is described as being:

"Covered by fine grey fur with darker spots."

And the famous spikes down the the back:

"Phosphorescent bright colored spine- like appendages that run over the body from head to the end of the back. The spines colors change constantly from red to blue to yellow, to green to orange to violet."

If something like this is sucking your goats dry; you need to be watching your goats a little closer.

"Jersey Devil"
3" by 4"
Oil on Gessobord













I haven't done anything monster-wise for a few days and decided to go ahead and take a stab at another of my faves, the Jersey Devil.

This beastie first roamed through Eastern Pensylvania and Southern New Jersey around the turn of the last century.

It was described by several people as a 'Jabberwock' with long, thin wings, short legs; the fronts shorter than the hinds, and either cloven hooved or shod like a horse. It left bewildering trails of tracks in the snow that went through fences and went on for miles and miles.

Several people describe it's dog-like head and it barked at one woman.

It emitted a squalking whistle at another couple.

Whatever it was, it wasn't like anything else.

And it certainly wasn't any half-nekkid Neanderthal like they claimed on the X-Files.

Hmmmphp. Mulder would know better than that.

"Nessie"
3" by 4"
Oil on Gessobord








You knew it was only a matter of time before I got around to Nessie. . .

I've actually been out on Loch Ness hunting for the beastie.

I did a huge amount of hiking and hitchhiking (which I'd never done before and haven't had to do since) to get out to Loch Ness from Inverness.

A delightful old man in an MG convertable gave me a ride to Urquhart Castle (the ruins in the background of this picture).

He asked me if I knew what the locals though of the famous 'Surgeon Photograph' of the monster.

I said 'no'.

His eyes twinkled and he said: 'ah, lassie, they say the monster was just raisin' his kilt for the photographer.'

"Dover Demon"
3" by 4"
Oil on Gessobord







I figured it had been a while since I posted any monsters, so I painted this little nekkid guy.

He's the Dover Demon, who showed up around Dover Massachusetts in the spring of 1977.

Four people saw him in three different sightings and then nothing since.

The little bugger was running around on all fours, had long prehensile fingers and toes and was about four feet tall. No tail, no mouth, no ears. Just that lovely melon shaped head.

Weird!

"Mothman"
3" by 4"
Oil on Masonite













Tonight was a prime example of not forcing something.

I spent six hours trying to paint an apple David brought me.

No go. I just could not get that apple down. I wiped panel after panel and kept trying. Threw two into the trash after multiple tries.

After snapping at David and Dulce (the dog), I finally decided that I couldn't paint something I really didn't care about and had a look 'round for my idea pile (a pile of pictures and sketches that sorta follows me from room to room).

Guess who was on top of the pile.

(and I come by him honestly as my Granny was from West Virginia)

He took all of 45 minutes to paint.

Lesson learned; paint what you know.