When I drew this, I was focusing on the white part so much that it wasn’t until later that I saw the funny blue face. I particularly like this one because it’s so silly (Silly really ought to be my middle name), and so obvious … but not. I bet if I hadn’t said anything, […]
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Category: Odd Portraits
HOW BURT BECAME MY VERY BEST FRIEND
Burt is the kind of friend everyone should have. He holds little babies as if they were the gods’ own precious lights; plays with the toddlers; treats little girls and boys to merry-go-rounds, lots of colorfully illustrated books, pencils, and art supplies; Tonka trucks, small-hand size tools and paints, encyclopedias, roller skates and skis; and […]
THE FIRST TIME I WAS VIOLATED
I went home that day all stirred up inside. I had no idea it was wrong of him to touch me. I had no idea it was what we’d call grooming, now. I just knew…. I was 13 years old the first time I was raped. Not to worry, this will not be a rant […]
SAM: Likes Shiny Things
The second time I was raped was a far cry from the first. Looking back, I count what happened to me that day as a stroke of incredible good fortune for myself, and out-of- the-blue evidence of amazing community solidarity in its intolerance for violence and cruelty, and its endeavor to maintain peace. I was […]
OLIVER: Sees You
September of 1999 was a hot one. I had just returned to Santa Fe a short month ago from a stint back east, house-sitting for my dear friend, Cynthia, out on Long Island. I hadn’t been able to find a place I could afford yet. I did find a little secluded glade down by an […]
BELLA: Early
My dad used to burst into my bedroom, at dawn:30 a.m., throwing the door back with a bang, roughly yank all the covers completely off me and my bed, and cheerily spout, “Time to get uuuuuuuppp!!” He thought he was being SO funny. N O T . But could I ever convince him of that? […]
BUDDY: in the Light, Shadowed
When I drew this, I was focusing on the white part so much that it wasn’t until later that I saw the funny blue face. I particularly like this one because it’s so silly (Silly really ought to be my middle name), and so obvious … but not. It’s a great metaphor for my life […]
SYLVESTER: Hiss
Lately I’ve been really struggling with sleep imbalance. It’s so strange – I can sleep 2 or 3 hours, but then my legs get all jumpy and I have to get up. Then within an hour or three, my eyes slump shut and I’m sleepy all over again and have to get horizontal before I […]
SELBY’S Favorite Game (Not Really)
Recently I watched one of those ‘cute’ animal videos where a seal was bouncing a ball around and playing catch with its trainer in one of those sea life shows. I wanted to relf. Seals belong OUTside. They are cute, sure, until you come up close and dirty – if one decided to attack you […]
ELIGHTABETH, So Serioth
When I was a little kid, my dad’s mother would come stay with us. Granny. The one whose middle name, Treat, I carry. I couldn’t stand her. She smelled like Eau d’Oldde Peoplle. And she made this weird little sucking-in whistle sound whenever there was something she disapproved of, but wouldn’t speak about. This image […]
SCREEN PARALYSIS: JESSE: Caught
I’ve been writing up a storm lately, and last night as I got up to take a little break, I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror as I left – I looked kinda like this! I realized I’d be practically glued to the screen for days! So today I’m focusing on remembering fun, funny, […]
BEARY BEAR’S DAD, BURT: Mellow
Burt is the kind of dad everyone should have. Holds little babies as if they were the gods’ own treasures; plays with the toddlers; treats little girls to merry-go-rounds and lots of colorfully illustrated books and art supplies; little boys to Tonka trucks, small-hand size tools and paints, encyclopedias, roller skates and skis; and young […]
SHYLEE: Searching
I was 13 years old the first time I was raped. Not to worry, this will not be a rant or a self-pity party. Just a story about overcoming evil who took the form of a ‘nice’ man everyone liked and respected. The summer before my sophomore year, my mother thought it would be a […]
GUS: I AIN’T DONE NUTHIN’
Some days I feel just like this. Like there’s not a single thing I can get right, and if I do do something right, it isn’t enough, or good enough. Who the hell sets up those rules??? We are so conditioned! So programmed to think we are less-than, not good enough, not productive enough, not […]
CARLOS, ALWAYS HAPPY
I have a friend who, no matter what befalls her, is always happy. For a long time, it would piss me off that she never lost her equilibrium. I think I was jealous that I didn’t know how to do that, too. But then she told me why. She grew up in horrifying circumstances. Imagine […]
PETEY, PICKY!
Have you ever watched as birdies peck at seeds on the ground? It doesn’t look like they pick and choose at all – more like they do a general all-over snatch and grab, no matter what it is. But they actually have sharply discerning senses that allow them to choose ‘seed’ rather than ‘something awful,’ […]
SAM: SHINY THINGS
Did you know that a group, or gathering, of ravens is called an ‘Unkindness’? It’s odd to me that that’s so – I’ve never thought of them as unkind. My dog and I used to walk the arroyos outside of Tesuque, New Mexico. Always there would be groups of huge ravens in the trees above […]
HAROLD
I didn’t realize, as I was drawing this, that I had drawn 3 horses. See what I mean? Each of these 3-color images has so far ended up being mysteriously more than what I had thought I’d created! I love that! text & image © Angela Treat Lyon 2021
FIDO
I love Fido. He is faithful, calm, loyal and very wise. He knows just when I’m hurting inside because he comes up to my side and rests his head on my lap, and looks up at me with those big brown eyes that say, “No worries, My-Human, I’ve got this! You just go relax!” Too […]
MARTHA, SUNFACED
Well, so I started a new series. This is the Odd Critters Series. Although it will probably include humans, too. I can’t help it. I just keep seeing all these new beings, and have to draw them. The underdrawing is all in blue against the black. Then I go over it with white, and include […]