The Devil Queen

How my wife and I sold our souls to the Queen Anne Victorian we tried to save.

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Location: Crow Mountain, Arkansas, United States

Synopsis: This is a cautionary tale. A seriously disturbed couple find the charming, old ruin of a Queen Anne Victorian in Russellville, Arkansas, and buy it for $1.00. They tore the roof off, cut it in half, and had it moved to some land they owned sixteen miles away because they didn't know any better. Since then, they have hired and fired contractors, had all of their tools stolen, re-wired, re-plumbed, insulated, and essentially rebuilt the entire house. Their only problem is that after four years it still isn't finished. Now they are tired, broke, and wonder what in the hell it is they've done to themselves. And, it's haunted.
(Last updated on April 3, 2008)

Press: Russellville Courier Article - December 2003, HGTV website article, AP story - October 2006, and Victorian Homes Magazine - February 2008 (link coming soon).
Art: From time to time, I receive requests for my art. If you would like to look at more of my art, go to The Failed Artist. If you would like to buy my art, email me. I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Thanks!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Thumbs, Not in Sphincter

Or, I haven’t been spending all of my time with my thumbs up my ass lately. Really. Sure, I know that it doesn’t look like I’ve been doing much lately. The lack of news, information, and whatnot has been staggering. It’s easy to let your imagination run wild. Visions of me, naked with a bevy of supple, young, foreign women, a case of whiskey, and a predilection for white powder must be quite distracting. I don’t know how you manage to get anything finished at work when you’re daydreaming about me. I mean what else would I be doing at the Devil Queen in the long hours of the night? Right?

Don’t fear. I’m lamentably ordinary. I come home after stopping for milk or laundry detergent. I eat an unremarkable dinner and afterwards brew a pot of coffee. Maybe I catch a catnap as it perks. After a cup or two, I take my oil paints outside and paint for thirty minutes or an hour. I pack-up under darkening skies and call my wife. After we’ve talked, maybe I call Kenny, our real estate agent, or renter as need may dictate. I load the dishwasher, drink more coffee, and work on another oil painting. Or, I install weather-stripping, paint a built-in, or something of the sort. One or two nights a week I treat myself to a stiff drink and an episode of Rome or WKRP Cincinnati. I take a shower and read a little in bed because the written word keeps the lonely man civilized in a fashion. Then I sleep for four, five, or six hours. I aim for six since it helps my keep my inner psychotic at bay. My wife appreciates it.

I am sure you’ve noted that I spend more time oil painting than getting my home-improvement mojo going. There is a reason for this. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of things we plan to hire out in the name of expediency. Lamentably this requires money.

Last week my lady friend and I struck a deal. I get to paint my amateur heart out and try to raise a respectable amount of money to get this stupid fucking home improvement project jump started by October 1st of this year or I have to get a second job. Given what my second-job options are, I’ve been painting my fucking heart out. It’s gotten off to a slow start but I’ve got the bitch on the move. I have two long-standing commissioned works to finish off (an nearing completion as we speak, sorry guys), and then I’m free to roam wide, open spaces. Artistically speaking that is. It would take more than a few paintings for me to be turned loose on the world, something I lament daily.

That is enough merde for now. If you happen like my art and have a $100 or more dollars to spare (or know someone who does), please buy my art. If not, wish me luck. The second-job field is looking pretty grim.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Have you done any scenes with the Devil Queen in them? Might be a market for that, with the blog.

I like your style.

Me, I haven't picked up a brush, in watercolor or oil, in the past eleven years. I tell myself it's because I haven't a suitable studio space.

Yeah, right.

Good for you for working on your art, whatever the motivation.

12:04 PM  
Blogger John said...

Kate,

I have done a couple of painting featuring the Devil Queen, but I can't remember if I've sold them or not. I'll take a look around but it may take a couple of weeks to find them. Or, I might just do some new ones.

In any case, thanks and I try to give you something to look at.

1:15 PM  

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