Baboons take over human homes in South Africa
Posted Mar-28-2007
REAL Funny Headlines: An outrage at animalistic behavior!
"A battle between man and beast!" Is this one for the evolutionists in the world? I don't know, but seeing this headline on the Yahoo! News blotter just now amused me. I know it's not April Fool's Day yet, but in the Cape of Good Hope, I do feel for the humans affected by this travesty.

And yet, as I type this little entry, a four-legged feline vies for my attention by walking across my desktop, over my keyboard, and into my vertical window blinds, separating them as they swing and clack. Here she comes again, looking at me straight in the eyes as if to say "What are YOU going to do about it?" She brushes against my monitor again, leaving her little short white hairs sticking to it, and then jumps to the floor. What can I do? This kind of scenario plays out over and over in my office, kitchen, and bedroom week after week.

What are we going to do with all of this animalistic behavior in the world? "Can't we all just get along?" •

Public Reading at Barnes & Noble Posted Mar-28-2007
Chris's Checklist of Amazing Creative Accomplishments
This past Saturday night I possessed the courage and self-confidence to read two of my short writings to a group of strangers gathered at a Barnes & Noble bookstore for a non-profit fundraiser book fair event. Besides reading my winning third-grade essay out loud to a group of parents when I was eight years old, this was the first time I've stood tall in front of an audience to read my work. More »

Nit Wits #33: April Tackses Posted Mar-26-2007
Take Chris Dunmire's Official April 15 ProTAXtination Survey »

Protaxtinate vb -nat-ed; -nating : The innate ability to procrastinate (put off, ignore, etc.) on filing yearly income taxes. — from the Christionary of made-up words

If you live in the United States, you know it's coming. 20 more days until...

Denver Art Museum Uses My Creativity Patch!
Posted Mar-22-2007
Where Life Meets Art
If you happen to visit Colorado's Denver Art Museum in the near future, you may be handed a familiar-looking item promoting their "life meets art." programming. Why yes, that's my fun Creativity Patch design you see there! ...

"Earthscape" © Chris Dunmire

What is Your TRUE Creative Nature? Posted Mar-17-2007
Know Thy Creative Self
Besides my famous Tee Time painting, the above piece, "Earthscape" is the second public painting project I've done to-date. I have visions of painting many more pictures in my creative lifetime, but for now I wanted to write about this particular piece and why it's floated to the surface again. ...

The Healthy Artist Guide to a Less Toxic Studio
Posted Mar-13-2007
Good for You, Good for the Environment!
What if ALL companies were required by law to list the ingredients that went into the manufacturing of their products just like most U.S. food companies have to? That certainly would be interesting!

::: Looks at #2 pencil sitting on desk :::

Pencil Ingredients: cedar, graphite, clay, wax, non-toxic stain (yellow #7), rubber, non-toxic glue... (Really! Go see for yourself how pencils are made... well, I improvised just a little thinking about how many little teeth chew on those things!)

The good thing is that we are smart enough to suspect when a product might be harmful to us. And so The Healthy Artist Guide to a Less Toxic Studio notes, "Artists and craftspeople often use materials that contain harmful chemicals in order to create art and make a living. Educate yourself and be aware of the toxic hazards in your studio and what you can do to make it safer."

This is important information for artists to review and pass along to friends. Thanks to my friend, Linda Dessau, for passing it along to me. •

Art Prompt #1: Creative Gift Wrapping Paper
Posted Mar-12-2007
The Nifty-Gifty Solution
Scenario: You made a special gift for your your friend's upcoming birthday. You want to present your gift in your own creative, non-cliche form of surprise wrapping (cliche would be decorative gift bags, traditional wrapping paper, DIY Gift Package, etc.).

Your challenge is to use materials you don't have to purchase to come up with an inventive gift-wrapping solution that is uniquely your own. Keep in mind the nature of the gift, birthday year, and your friend's interests. Wrap your creative brain around that and come up with three possibilities. •