Judith Carducci pastel paintings and drawings

Card Sharps — No, it's not a Caravaggio

Occasionally the Akron Society of Artists issues a "Challenge" to it's members, this is the second time I have risen to "paint [or draw] yourself into a famous work of art." My son [having a regrettable taste for kitsch] loves the Coolidge series of "Dogs Playing Poker." I asked him if I could borrow his print and he told me "On one condition": that I include Nancy's two dachshunds in my rendition. So, here it is. Sebastian is the long-hair with the pipe. Lily, pretty in pink (Nancy's favorite color) and with her favorite toy (the orange bone), has locked onto what Muggsy in the foreground is up to. David particularly likes the fact that I am looking over the shoulder of the central character. (That's my self-portrait at 82, "Letting My Hair Down.") Coolidge did the original in 1903 and entitled it "A Friend in Need." I call my version "The Card Sharps - No, It's Not a Caravaggio".

Pastel on 18" x 22" Canson Touch board

Collection of David Carducci