Yesterday was Pet Art 9. This is an event I generally look forward to every year, but I have to admit I wasn't feeling it yesterday. I almost told Mick we weren't going to go. I'm glad we did, though.
I always feel a little, I don't know, dirty after Pet Art. I go into it with the best of intentions thinking I will only bid on one or two pieces, then the wine starts flowing and my credit card is out. This year was no exception, but as the auctioneer said, think of this as a donation--the art is free. So I got two great pieces of free art and made a modest donation of (ahem) to a great cause.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The first thing I did when we got there was check out my own painting:
I was pretty happy with the location, but not quite as happy with the frame. Next time I will have the art framed myself before donating it, because I do feel this makes a difference for bidders.
Next, I checked in with my friend John, who used to be the volunteer coordinator at PAWS/LA. Now he just volunteers. 
John is on the cusp of a really big deal to produce a script he wrote. So everyone, cross your fingers that it goes through.
The next thing I did was look at all the art. Overall, I thought the art this year was really good. Going in, there were two pieces I was seriously interested in buying:
The other was an original piece by Gary Baseman, which unfortunately I don't have a photo of. I knew it was unlikely I'd get that one though and I was right--it was insanely popular.
The main reason I didn't get either of the pieces I intended on getting is because I ended up bidding on (and winning) two pieces in the live auction. I can never help myself in the live auction--I am an attention whore and I love raising my bidder number. So, without further ado, here are the pieces I got:
Another Morbid Cat, Shag, acrylic on canvas
I put this in my guest/workroom because it's fun, and Shag inspires me. I love his work and I'm very happy to get an original piece, even if it's small.
Dancers, Roger Herman, lithograph and watercolor
I love this piece! Even though I didn't go to the auction intending to bid on it, when I saw it in person I knew I wanted it.
My own piece ended up selling for (I think) $80, which was the last bid I saw before we left. Here is the bid sheet--I blocked out the bidder's info for privacy. I was glad it got multiple bids, even though I wish it would've sold for more.
Overall, it was a successful event and I hope PAWS/LA made loads of money. At least I know I did my part to help!
