Blue-Tailed Fire-Bomber - Oldie but a Goodie

Tiny bit of glare, but I colour corrected the photo just now to better represent the piece, so here's one of my classics from early 2013.

The sad part of the story is that my last remaining grandparents had just passed away in a house fire in Winnipeg a few months prior, so I was painting a lot of fiery carnage. Grandpa, I didn't know so well. Most of my family is estranged, but at least I knew a little bit about him from stories, and brief personal experience.

He loved rescuing animals. Cats, bunnies, especially birds. He had a real soft spot for those in need. I have it on good authority that he was a shitty father, but held in high esteem by all non-related community. It's an important lesson in forgiveness. Some people just don't have parenting talent, regardless of how well they mean. My own personal experience corroborates to some degree. The last time I saw Grandpa was 2010, on a road trip with a pit stop in on a family reunion. I pulled out my guitar and was playing a bit just before he had to leave, but he made a point to come over and say goodbye with the best compliment he could manage.

With his buggy hyper-thyroid eyes, he leaned in and said "You're the only one in this family with any talent".
Didn't know how to take that. I mean, sure, they love their whiskey and their Chris De Burgh, but they have many gifts aside. Unforgettable words either way.  

18x24" Acrylic on canvas. Only 625 cdn until the end of the year.

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