The Buzz: Casa artist grabs Teen Ink nomination, and local crows get taste of caffeine

Petaluma’s Violet Wang a finalist in Teen Ink Magazine pastel competition: A young artist from Casa Grande High School, Violet Wang, has been named as a finalist in the 2018 Teen Ink Oil Pastel contest, sponsored by Teen Ink Magazine. With the theme “Modern America,” the competition invited student artists to submit “pastel-based artworks” touching on the ways the artists see America. Wang’s piece, titled “With Liberty and Justice For All,” is one of the top three finishers.

Describing her entry - a painting of cranes watching in wonder as one of them expresses its individuality - Wang says, “Modern America, built of freedom and opportunity, has a uniquely strong sense of identity and pride. My drawing shows a crane, poised and powerfully leading, as others look, ready to join the dance.”

The winner will be the one that receives the most votes from the public, and will be announced in the Dec. issue of Teen Ink Magazine. Wang’s piece can be viewed and voted on by going to the contest’s website, with the lengthy link: www.teenink.com/art/pastels/181542/With-Liberty-And-Justice-For-All.

Crows on Caffeine: And speaking of birds expressing their individuality, a pair of crows were spied last Monday in the parking lot of the now-closed Orchard Supply Hardware. A large puddle of coffee was the draw, with a dropped-and-broken paper coffee cup (from the nearby 7-11) the obvious original source of the pool of caffeinated liquid. As one of the crows watched, the other busily slurped up the coffee. Wait. Do crows slurp? Whatever. It was drinking the coffee, and one can only wonder if he was the only crow to have partaken, given that a huge gathering of feathered friends was at the same moment swirling through the air above the parking lot. They were, to attempt a description of an indescribable moment, all performing a spectacular dance, in which leaves falling from nearby trees were blowing about as the crows swooped in and around them, cawing loudly.

Perhaps the crow on the ground was merely taking a coffee break from all that activity.

Either way, it was a sight to see. Or should we say, it was certainly something to crow about.

Pitches requested for Petaluma Pet Stories: And continuing the theme, the editors of the Argus-Courier are once again accepting suggestions from readers in the community for the occasional series Petaluma Pet Stories. Do you have or know of someone with an especially interesting or entertaining pet? A dancing cat or hitchhiking dog or, who knows, a bird that likes coffee? Send your suggestions to Community Editor david.templeton@arguscourier.com.