Jesus, the Mouse, and the Mission

Friday, December 6th marked the opening of 'Jesus! A December Celebration of the Christ' at R. Pela Gallery in Phoenix, AZ. With a juried show that included Arizona art notables and members of the clergy, I was told that a nun explained the significant meanings in my piece to the other jurors and touched on the mouse... When told this I was stunned as even I don't know what the mouse means. While painting I knew I had to put something in Jesus' hand and a voice kept saying, "A mouse, put a mouse." So I did.

At the very tail end (no pun intended) of the show, a gentleman approached me and pointed to my piece asking if he could tell me about it. People often do this and I'm open to hear interpretations. I obliged and we meandered to my piece where he asked, "Do you know what the mouse means?" I chuckled. When I told him that intuition guided me to simply paint a mouse he explained that on the facade of the Mission San Xavier del Bac just south of Tucson, AZ there is a cat on the right side chasing a mouse on the left. Indian legend says that if the cat ever catches the mouse it means the end of the world.

Now I don't expect a concrete form to move and catch another, but after seeing Doctor Who and the weeping angels, perhaps anything is possible. I froze, looked at the man and again at the mouse I precariously hung from Jesus' hand. On that note the evening ended and I was once again reminded why I love doing what I do.

Visit the Mission Church

'Now You Have a Choice' is available at R. Pela Gallery. Contact Robrt for painting information and to see more of my work.

Phone: 602-320-8445

Email: RobrtPela@aol.com

Website: R. Pela Gallery

This Friday is Collectors Night. The gallery will be open from 6-9 pm. Show runs through Dec 31. R. Pela Gallery, 335 West McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ

The Battle of La Mofeta vs. Lucky G.

I'm currently working on a piece for Modified Arts Gallery of an elk with a human eye - as though the human is wearing a mask. This is a recurring theme in my work - the idea of wearing a mask and taking on its persona. I thought to myself, 'Where did this come from? What was the first painting?' and I laughed when I remembered...

I can thank my mutant chihuahua, Lucky G, for the inspiration as one night two years ago he heard a noise out in the yard and went to investigate. In the desert in the pitch dark there's no telling what's outside. It could've been a javelina or coyote. Moments after he bolted outside I heard a scuffle and him yelping. Next thing I knew he scurried inside reeking of skunk along with a newly brandished large bleeding gash behind his ear. The wound healed in time. The smell however.. well, it took 6 months to completely get it out of his long hair.

I decided to commemorate the skunk's victory by depicting him as a Lucha Libre wrestler with my dog's blood on his nails and a halo above his head. I laugh every time I see this painting.