Holding a bubble

On the eve of Spring Break I look at the list I have been working on for 2 weeks of what to do with my endless days. Tomorrow is 'town-errands day' so that I won't have to leave the yard much after that. I want to get to Trenton's quilt shop just to browse.
I have been thinking of Jerry Cutler's thoughts on being a painter and finding a "Self-Sustaining Aesthetic". I'm afraid my self sustaining aesthetic is wobbly and as a matter of fact the search for a self-sustaining aesthetic has kept me from painting. I just like to paint.
So I have a wild hair.
My plan is to get some practice painting portraits of dogs. I saw a flyer at the vet's office last week advertising paintings of pets. I think thats a great idea. I remember hearing of another painter doing that same thing with portraits of people; she would charge $75 and if you didn't like the portrait you didn't have to pay. What a great way to get practice! I have no interest in working through a portrait to make the patron happy, I just want to learn what there is for me to learn from painting.
I need to put this on my spring break list. Then I will post the flyers in vet offices. Dogs only. Shoulders and head. From a photo. 16 x 12 or 18 x 24. $100.