In the city of Nagoya, I recently visited my old friend, artist, musician, and ramen man Pay Katsuyuki. I have known Pay for many years, and he was kind enough to contribute some work to the garage sale part of my show at Billy Shire Fine Arts Last Year.

In Nagoya, we watch our friend play in his band "Ogre you Asshole" and then we painted in the park. Pay paints with oils on paper. I had never used oil paints before, but Pay let me borrow his and showed me some techniques. I painted a dog mouse.

While we were painting in the park, a funny girl came riding up to us on her bike. She was about 14 years old. This was our conversation.

Girl: What are you doing?
Me: We're painting?
Girl: Why are you painting?
Me: Because it's fun.
Girl: What are you painting?
Me; A Dog.
Girl: Does that mouse have a name?
Me; It's a dog. What do you think its name is?
Girl: Isn't it Miki?
Me: Do you want to write it on there?
(She writes it on there....you can see it in the red area).
Me; What's your name?
Girl: Miki.
Me; Oh, the same as the dog?
Girl: Yeah...How long are you gonna be here? Why don't you go home?
Me; Because we're painting?
Girl: The mosquitos will get you.
Me: Yes.
Girl: What are you doing later?
Me; Having Dinner.
Girl: You should buy me dinner.

Miki stayed with us for 2o minutes. She never stopped asking questions, and then suddenly she rode away on her bike. Now all I have to remember her by is her name written below my Dog Mouse.

This was my frist oil painting. I like the way oil melts into paper...and I like the smell of the Linseed oil that you use to thin the paint. That is probably the best thing about oil painting. I carried this dog mouse around with me for a few weeks, and every time I opened my sketch book I could smell the linseed oil and remember this day painting in the park.

Below is one of Pay's oils. You can see more of his work at his web site.
http://web.mac.com/payroyal/iWeb/Site/present.html

You can meet Pay and hear his beautiful music here. This is one of my first videos.