"I told Les Toil I was into mermaids, witches ( ala the movie "Hocus Pocus"), and water. I’m now officially a Toil Girl!".

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Thank you Miss Merf! But the real inspiration that fueled MY motor was both yours and your husband James' enthusiasm to have the art created! Folks, this couples' zeal was equaled to mine every time I come upon, say, an old Dick Tracy toy or a particularly decent vintage pinup art print.  I was so excited and determined to get the above image out of my head and on to my drawing surface that it took me a good sixteen hours to perfect that water effect. The easy part was rendering Merf's face. She has the most vibrant cheekbones, smiling mouth and sparkly eyes, and rendering those features was a labor of love.

By the way, Merf is making her debut here in the Toil Girl Gallery a mere ONE DAY after she celebrated her birthday. And guess what? Part of yesterday's celebration involved her and James driving almost two hours to meet me and pick up her original Toil Girl art, print and certificate. To say I appreciated being a part of her special day is a gross understatement. James and I are definitely bros of a feather and all three of us realized we have mutual ties that reach back quite a few years. And kudos to James for masterminding their trek to my crib as a complete surprise for our darling birthday girl here in the spotlight.

Merf, thanks for the visit and thanks for this new kick-ass gallery entry.