COCOFISH

When I tell people I'm an art teacher they usually ask, "So what kind of artist are you?"

I tell them about the parades, this blog, and my weird sculptures.

I used to make paper-mache monsters, the 2-foot creatures that now lurk around our house. They stuck around because when I took them to art shows, no one would buy them.

I recently learned that many people will part with ten bucks if you offer them a painted coconut. This is especially true if it resembles a fish.

I took a dozen to an art show last year and they flew off the table. Since then I have scoured the Grove's trash piles for the very best, the nuts that stare back at you. I throw on a little paint, add some tree debris and -voila- I've made another cocofish.

Trouble is I've tired of the cute ones. Now the painted nuts have gotten much more dark, brooding, and somewhat malevolent.

Tomorrow (Sunday, May 1) I'll be doing my last show of the season at Plymouth Church (a short one, 11 am to noon in Davis Hall).

It'll be interesting to see if these new creations find buyers or just come home to hang out with the other monsters.