Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Past Life




Recently I had to go through all of my past life to put together a professional resume. Funny, it has been so long since I have needed a resume. I mentioned that I lived with artist Michael Bedard in the 80's. We used to go out to the desert to a mineral hotsprings at a spa called Two Bunch Palms. They used this place in the movie "The Player". It was Al Capone's hideaway just outside of Palm Springs. When we would stay it was not super well known so it was a real nice 3 hour get away from LA. It was at this very place that Yote walked into my life. She looked an awful lot like a coyote when I first caught a glimpse of her and she was wild as can be. Michael's dog Hopi had recently died and it was extremely sad and lonely for us. A woman at the spa told me that she had been feeding Yote (This is the name I called her) but she had many dogs at home and could not take her, she was concerned for her welfare and wondered if we could help. We decided we would try to see if she would come with us and indeed she did. We brought her to our beautiful home, we lived on one of the premiere pieces of property in this town, very remote on a mountain way up high facing the ocean with no other houses in our view. Yote was the first dog that was really mine. She quickly became my best friend and she was a real beauty. I started including her in my paintings and the weirdest thing happened, people would always buy them. I would juxtapose this wild dog in a city scene and paint away. I made prints, they would sell. I did an enormous painting "After Midnite" not only did it sell right away but Yamakatsu published it as a puzzle and it sold out every run they made. I would always get excited and tell her we were going to eat well tonite! I was interviewed in the newspaper and my longtime photographer Dave Sessions came to take my picture and Yote somehow got in the shot. I rediscovered this photo the other day, it was not the one used in the newspaper but she looks like a ghost! When she died, I vowed I would never have another dog because it ripped my heart out but then I met Rat and I could not resist...

Once again please forgive the hair, big hair was in then. I should have mentioned this in" Five Strange Things" but my hair started turning white when I was 18 so of course I dyed it for years but in 96 I went au natural.

Top: "Moondoggie" Limited Edition Silkscreen Print by the artist 1991

Middle : "After Midnite" Puzzle / Painting 1987

Me & Yote 1990

Spot illo of Rat 2004


15 comments:

andrea said...

Shoot! I was all set to comment on how I knew it was the '80s by your big hair (I think I posted a big hair photo of me on my blog once, too) but you beat me to it! Yote was a beauty! Is that a little drawing of rat at the bottom?

andrea said...

Oops -- I just finished reading the captions. Never mind. :)

Queen Tut said...

Hi Val, its nice to get a glimpse into your world. I always look forward to your posts. Ps I like the big hair!

Lee said...

Yote sounds like a wonderful companion Val, great photo of the two of you!

Unknown said...

Hi Val!!! I love reading posts like this. It makes me feel like I've known you forever. Sounds crazy huh.
beautiful dog. I can see how you two were best pals.
Hehe your hair reminds me of mine back in the 80's
I might have to go looking for a big hair photo.
Love the paintings also. Yote had some good energy.

Janet said...

Great photo!like the big hair, too! Yote does look ghostly the way her body blends in with the background.

Cream said...

Val, you looked so happy with Yote. I hope you still just as happy with Rat!

valerie walsh said...

Rat is the love of my life for 10 years, oops sorry husband... haha he and I have bonded even more than me and Yote because I got him at 6 weeks. Yote was already grown and she had been abused and abandoned so it took a long time to turn her around but she was the best little girl dog!

albina said...

Valerie! Thanks for stopping twice – what a treat. Love that photo: you both look like wild things – hair and all. Great story and hope to see more of Rat.

Anonymous said...

That is such a sweet, sweet story. Thank you for sharing that. I could completely identify with you.

You are as beautiful as your art and your pets.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post! I loved the seeing the pictures you posted and reading a little bit about your history. What a life! Very cool, thank you for sharing this.
a.

"Maggie & Kevin" said...

I too know what it is like to lose a beloved pet, I just lost mine days ago. Spring is here and he would just love it...

Love the big hair, I did that too and you are so pretty.

The greenhouse illustration is so colorful and a perfect segway to spring!

All the best,

Maggie

Collin said...

Lovely painting and great story.

wildharmonic said...

Great story. Yote was a beauty. I love the Moondoggie image. I will leave the hair alone.

Susan Schwake said...

hi there,
catching up on the back bits of your blog which i had not read! oh the big hair of the 80s... you wear it well and the photo is great! nice to know a bit more about you.