Pickles by Brian Crane for March 29, 2016

Earl certainly made his point.

And Opal does have that cuddly factor.

He may be visiting the couch tonight.

Koalas are really cute too, Opal.

Is that his pet name for her?

Earl, preprogram your response, “That beautiful, dear. Tell me about it.”

First rule of holes, Earl.

Koala’s have very sharp claws. Watch it, Earl.

that first balloon should be pointing to Earl

Exactly Bman73!!!

I never show my husband my paintings until I’m finished. He doesn’t understand the under-painting and layers. Okay, sometimes he doesn’t understand the finished product either.

Earl should pull a Schultz when Opal asks questions like this. “I see nothing!”

Critique of a loved one’s artistic endeavor – painting, sculpture, pottery, poetry, or prose – is the equivalent of walking barefoot over hot coals whilst balancing a bucket of boiling oil on your head !

No such thing as a koala bear. Koalas are marsupials, not bears.

Learning to stay quiet (like you’re contemplating) in front of someone’s artwork is the best. Or doing non-committal head nods and wordless, friendly sounds like, “Hmmmm”.

Oh and never ever ask, “What is it?” or “Is that [fill in the blank]?”

It’s a thing most parents learn from when their kids would come home with a folder full of…ummm…art like pieces.

Earl suffers from foot in mouth disease.

Maybe she won’t ask again!

I like the ones where the art expert expounds at great length on the meaning of the work, then the artist walks up and angrily turns the painting 180 degrees.

Hey, Koala Bears are cute!

There might have been a hidden compliment in there.

Unless I’ve banged my head and don’t know what I’m talking about.

xxx

Did not mean to start a controversy with the “no such thing as koala bears” comment. It’s just always hurt my ears to hear people use that term. To me, it’s similar to how other people feel hearing fingernails on a blackboard (oops – I’m dating myself – they use white boards in schools now, not blackboards).