I ended up painting two discounted Halloween pieces. As I relaxed over my projects, the shopkeeper unpacked her Christmas collection. She just happened to be doing that earlier than usual because an empty storefront serving as her rent-free storage has been leased.

No big deal so far, right?

Well, she started wondering aloud how she would ever have time to paint samples.  Then she asked if I would be interested in painting one for her.

“Sure!” I exclaimed, having debated making the suggestion myself.

Then things get even more interesting.

“You said you have cats, right?”

“Yeah.”

So she hands me a cat shaped ornament. Though she has seen me add extensive detail to my paintings, she chose this one because of its simple design.  That way, she explained, I need not spend a lot of time. The next thing I knew, I was modeling the design upon my cat Luna who passed away on August 5th. I even included her name.

The gal praised my effort, which I considered diplomacy by a benevolent businessperson. Then, to my surprise, she offered to give me the ornament after the season is over. In retrospect I suppose my personalization had something to do with that.

But still, how cool is that?

When I pick up my purchased pottery, I may offer to paint another sample or two, making clear I don’t expect to be gifted every piece. It would just be a fun way to create without doling out cash.

In addition, if I decide to buy the big special order bisque monster pictured above, my technique will be that much better. We shall see.  It’s a pricey item.

Anyway, the universe was really good to me today. I’ll have to remember to take my camera and photograph Luna’s ornament next week after it’s been glazed and fired.

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