Here's Maxwell!

Yesterday while at the Dermatologist's office for an exam ("so much sun exposure, so much sun exposure"), I was put in the same room that I'm always in--one with very little for the eyes and brain. The walls are white, there are only two chairs and a table, and the only things to read are pamphlets about dreaded skin diseases or skincare. Oh, and there's a sink and cabinet, and a rolling stool for the medical professional.

Also, there is a painting--ignore the lights and my reflection.

I enjoy studying this painting. It is simple, and strange, and happy, and every time I stare at it, I wonder--what the hell?

I mean, where is this pond that appears to be in the middle of nowhere? Where is the farm? Are pigs natural divers? What went through the artist's mind when he decided what he'd paint on the canvas? No one--not even my dermatologist--has a clue or information about this painting.


Leaving my appointment, a commercial came on the radio--the Geico ad starring Maxwell, the pig. He of the "whee whee whee" all the way home, head hanging out the car window, pinwheel in hoof commercial. This time he was without his signature "whee," because the director didn't want it in the commercial.

Maxwell: "But, it's sort of my thing."

Director: "Stick to the script"

It's a terrible ad, but it explained the painting I'd just left! That's the pig who plays Maxwell in the Geico commercials. He's on his estate in the Hollywood hills--earned from the money he's made from Geico, and that's his pool, and he's obviously living it up after a long day of filming! Probably an artist was there for some portrait work, and he captured the moment.

I'm so thrilled to have figured it out.

But then I sat down to blog about it and made the mistake of Googling the painting. It is called Kohler's Pig and is an oil painting by Michael Sowa (I'm not making that up). He apparently paints many animals, and pigs are the main subject.

I like my version better...