Hilary in a Gray Shirt

Close up of the portrait of my 3rd daughter, Hilary.



20" x 24" oil on linen portrait of "Hilary in a gray shirt".

From a Fan's Point of View, the Best Opening Reception EVER

This past weekend was the opening reception for Archway Gallery's 3rd Annual Juried Competition. It was SO much fun.


The Amazing Reese and I got there relatively on time, which gave us time to take the requisite photo of the painting and me posing in a gallery setting. Expecting a crowd, the gallery very wisely had fans positioned throughout the space in order to facilitate air flow, which lent itself to more than one Marilyn Monroe moment with my full skirt.

The juror for the show was Bert Long, a Houstonian and internationally acclaimed artist. As stated before, I've long been an admirer of his. When Archway Gallery sent out the artist call for this show, the main reason I entered was so that Bert Long would see my work. Then when "Cottonwood" was selected, I was beside myself because here, finally, was my opportunity to meet Bert Long.


(Can you tell how excited I am? That's Bert Long!) Devotedly, I followed him around like a puppy dog waiting for the opportunity to introduce myself and thank him for selecting my work for the show. Had I been an actual puppy, it would have looked like my tail was wagging, but that was just the gallery wind blowing up my skirt.


I'd like to think that we became fast friends the moment we met, but the grown up in me knows better. He very graciously spent some quality time with me talking about the painting, the technique, the brush strokes, etc., and how he selected "Cottonwood" not only because it's worthy on its own today, but because he sees promise in my artistic future. (!) The critique was very humbling and affirming at the same time.


The gallery had the right idea about the fans. The opening reception was absolutely packed. Several groups of our friends came out in support. It was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the art -- not just "Cottonwood", but the whole show. Bert Long did a fantastic job of selecting the pieces in the exhibit, showcasing artistic skill, heart, soul, messages, and variety -- lots of variety.


It just so happens that Bert Long and I have mutual friends, he's a neighbor of some of our long time friends, and I'm a neighbor of one of his long time friends. Of course, as this was pointed out to him, he briefly and silently studied me, peering over his glasses, like he couldn't decide if I was crazy or not. (I'm not -- really.) Bert Long didn't know it, but we've been one degree of separation for years.


The delightful evening wouldn't have been possible without the Amazing Reese. Not only is he adorable arm candy, without his supportive enthusiasm, it wouldn't have occurred to me to consider being an artist as a "career". It's incredible to think that all of this has happened in the last six years. (And that Bert Long talked about my FUTURE as an artist! So cool.) Thanks, Amazing husband Reese.


At the end of the evening, the very approachable Bert Long, with a little nudge from his lovely companion, Joan Batson, agreed to pose with me in front of "Cottonwood". I couldn't have been happier.

Joy at 19

Delightfully, sweet daughter Joy agreed to pose for me yesterday. I started with a quick sketch on a toned canvas, just to make sure the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair were all in the right places, more or less. They were a little less than more, but the general idea was there.


Then, as I started applying color, the shape of the face became more defined. The eyes, nose, and mouth all found their way to the right part of the face, too. At this point, it was getting late, and Joy was tired of sitting...maybe I should say tired of sitting still...so I took a few reference photos to finish the portrait later.....


....which I did this afternoon.

This was one of those paintings that I dreamed about in the night, so finishing it was easier than some of the other paintings I've done. I don't know why that happens sometimes, the dreaming, I mean. (?) Why do some paintings flow, and others languish in painter's purgatory? It's a mystery. Funny thing, though, just a week or two ago Joy posed for me. That painting (on this exact same canvas) was so horrifying that I wiped it off before anyone could see it.


Joy is happy with this portrait, as am I. It's always a huge plus when the subject of the portrait likes the finished work. It's a 14" x 18" oil on linen.

Coming Up!

"Cottonwood" was selected for Archway Gallery's Third Juried Exhibition!


Bert Long was the juror, which is very exciting for me, because I've been an admirer of his for some time. (We've never met.)

The opening reception is July 9th from 5-8pm at Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy (in Houston). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of any artwork in the exhibit benefit the Houston Area Women's Center. Bert Long will also auction one of the photos from his collection with all proceeds going to the Houston Area Women's Center.

Lauren

Since it's been a while since I painted a portrait, I asked her if she minded being an art guinea pig. She replied, "Honey I don't care a whit about the risks and dangers of being an art guinea pig. I'm just coming because you asked for sitters, and sitting is something I can do. Just play with it!"

Sure enough, she was great at sitting. You'd think she had done it all of her life. Well, besides the obvious that she HAS been sitting most of her life, she was a very good art guinea pig, I mean model.


The bottom photo was taken after two hours of painting. The top photo was taken after letting the painting dry for a couple of days, and then going back with a reference photo and touching up the finer details in the face. She was fun to paint.


At this point, the paintings will stay in my collection. (I'm working toward building up a cohesive body of work. The last time I painted a portrait from a live model sitting was last September, unless my self portrait counts, and in that case it was last November.) It's such a blessing and never ceases to amaze that people will come sit for me. Much thanks to Lauren. After two hours of intently studying her face and enjoying good conversation, I can say with certainty that Lauren is beautiful inside and out.

What She Said

In spite of not painting all last week, I have been busy with art related stuff. The best part of the week was visiting with my art friend, Joan. Besides the fact that she is WONDERFUL, we can talk "art" for hours....and did. It was incredibly refreshing for my soul to have her here, and she was especially gracious to stay and visit considering that the downstairs a/c is on the blink. It was 84 degrees in the cool part of the house when she left. Sorry about that, Joan.

Believe it or not, I consider reading (and since it's art, looking at pictures) part of my continuing art education. And because it's been so hot downstairs, I've taken the opportunity to "read" (look at pictures) upstairs where the a/c works just fine. (Why didn't I think to take Joan upstairs for our visit? Oh, right, the bedroom was messy.) For the first time ever, I learned about (in American Art Review) and fell in love with an artist's work, by the name of Robert Henri. In particular, I like his portraits of Irish children. The portraits were painted toward the end of his career and are poignant and beautifully rendered; not too fussy, but not too loose, either. Beautiful.

I also read an article in Professional Artist magazine by Jack White about earned success. He states, "Earned success is when you do something to the best of your ability and are pleased with the results." It is very easy, as an artist, any profession really, to get caught up in the amount of money one makes or awards received. Not that there's anything wrong with achievements. Plus, awards are huge confidence builders. And Lord knows without commissions I'd have a hard time paying for paints and canvases. But "art" is so subjective that to spend too much energy worrying about every professional rejection would be foolish. So, in this instance, have I painted to the best of my ability, and am I pleased with the finished painting? More and more, the answers to those questions is YES. In fact, I'm so confident that I'm on the right track with my painting that a recent professional rejection hardly stung at all, (though it is a little hard to admit it to you, gentle reader.)

Apology

This is a public apology to the blue tree painting from the previous post.

Dear Blue Tree painting, formerly known as "Exhibit A,"

As you sit on the easel waiting to dry, much to my delight and surprise, I actually like you. Please accept my sincere apology for referring to you as a crime scene. The fault lies with me for being unaware of the quirky beauty of your blue trunk and limbs. It is my sincere hope that you live in light, happiness, and comfort on a wall, not in a sad, dark closet.

Thank you in advance for providing cool shade for my soul, never ending branches for my thoughts, and deep roots as I continue to grow as an artist. Thank you for sharing your life with me.

With much respect and affection,
Sarah

Crime Scene

The other day I was looking though a closet trying to find a pair of work boots, and saw this..... well, a version of this. The version I saw was at least the third version of the painting, which makes this one at least the fourth, maybe the fifth version of the same scene.

I don't remember the first time I painted this or even where it is. It's one of the paintings that was troublesome from the beginning. Why? Who knows? But it was. Still is.



It's a mess up close. Even now I'm shaking my head in disbelief....that so much effort could go into something for so little result. (It's probably going back in the closet after it dries.) The only reason I'm not throwing it away or burning it is because the canvas was so dang expensive. It's fancy Belgian linen and the Scottish in me can't bear to waste it.

Daughter Hilary looked at it and said, "You're trying too hard." She's right, but believe me when I say that it looks better now than it did a few days ago. (not saying much)

I'm calling it "Exhibit A."

Wiki Wow

Daughter Anna wrote a Wikipedia page (about me) as a gift to me for Mother's Day. It was a complete surprise. Friends on facebook have teasingly suggested some revisions....

For the record, I like real craft beer, not "lite" anything.

My sister's name is Elizabeth. She's 10 years younger than me and super cool.

My first love was Running. Though I have fond memories from our time together, we split up quite a few years ago. Running and I were no longer in a relationship at the time, but it didn't stop me from going to meet running icons Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. Frank and Bill even signed my old running/training logs (which I still have -- why?) Big, big thrill.

Lily Pondering

As mentioned in the last blog entry, for a couple of weeks, I've been working (floundering) on a painting of the back yard lily pond. It had gotten to a point where I was ready to put the painting away for a while, not because it was finished, but because it was extremely unfinished. I couldn't figure out what to do to make it "work."

Then today happened. The first wonderful thing that happened was running into a dear friend while on my morning walk with Tilly. Anyone can attest that I'm not a morning person, but seeing such a dear friend made the morning sweet. Then, after two generous cups of coffee, I got a phone call from dear friends who now live in Austin. Someone had sent them the local news article of the art heart and they called to share in the good news. How nice is that!?

Instead of putting the painting away, a hint of inspiration appeared, directly correlating, I believe, with the generosity of heart felt at having seen and talked to dear friends. Working with a new spirit, starting to get lost in the creativity, there was a knock on the door. Another long time friend, the kind with whom instant history is shared, dropped in for a short chat. Just as she was leaving, the dearest of friends dropped in on their drive from Missouri to Corpus Christi, TX. Needless to say, such sweetness of friendship fills my love tank. Not only that, but my artistically creative tank was filled as well. (I'm pretty sure the lily pond painting is now finished....)


And even though I feel extreme gratitude that painting is a gift, (I DO love painting,) being an artist is ofttimes a very lonely pursuit. But today, today was different. Today I was given the best of both worlds.

Photo Coming Soon

Even though it's not obvious from reading my last four blog posts, I have been painting. It's just that there hasn't been a large chunk of time to devote to the pursuit. So, I've been working on a painting of the back yard lily pond in increments -- thin layer after thin layer as time allows. I'm painting in thin layers so that the paint will dry quickly AND so that when there is time to paint, I don't have to worry about muddying the colors. Photo coming soon.

Also, there has been a very positive response (to me) about the art heart article (page 4) in the Village News. Craig P. Howard took my fumbling responses to his questions and wrote something cohesive, interesting, and informative. Thank you, Craig P. Howard. One dear friend even told me that she cut out the article and put it in her family photo album. So sweet. Thank you, Thelma.

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Time's the Charm

Have you ever fallen in love with something in a book? And then you get to actually see and experience first hand the very thing with which you had already fallen in love? That's exactly what happened to me. The National Gallery in DC recently loaned 50 works of art to the MFAH while the National Gallery was being renovated.....not just any works, but 50 of the greatest examples of French Impressionism ever created.

The first time I went to the exhibit it brought tears to my eyes and I hastily scribbled notes so as not to forget anything. The second time visiting, with more subdued emotion, I took more detailed notes, and appreciated the paintings on a more intellectual level. The third time, I went with a museum docent friend, and we experienced the paintings in a whole new way, still exciting and wonderful emotion, but also sharing unseen details in the paintings and more background about the artists. The fourth time seeing the exhibit, I went with two docent friends, and it was just as awesome and perhaps even more wonderful, if that's possible. The fifth time seeing the exhibit, it was just as exciting because a group of ladies from church were there. Even though there wasn't as much time to thoroughly devote to savoring each painting, it was fun to see friends enjoying the paintings I love.

Also, a friend alerted me to an article (with me in it) about the art hearts on public display. If the link works, the article is on page four.

Double also, there was a couple at our pet therapy class last night without a pet. Turns out they had come because someone had told them that a beautiful poodle named Tilly was in the class. They came to the class just to meet Tilly!

Hearts on Tour

OH MY GOODNESS! I'm so excited!

An alert friend was driving through Rice Village the other day and noticed my art heart on public display at the corner of University and Morningside. It's been such fun to see it there. (We live close by and yes, I've made a few trips slightly out of the way just to take a peek.)


The art hearts will be on view now through July 31st. After that, each of the hearts will belong to the respective Circle of Red patrons. (This heart belongs to Bobbie Nau.)

(For more information, go to this link ---> art heart tour.)

Sarah's Super Simple Sugar Cookies

Cooking, in my humble opinion, is an art form. In cooking, recipes are just guidelines. The recipe calls for asparagus but you only have peas -- no problem. Grape nuts can be substituted for bread crumbs. No artichokes? Use squash instead. It really doesn't matter when cooking.

Baking, however, is a science. If proportions aren't just so, or the recipe isn't followed exactly, the whole thing can flop. Too much flour and it's dry. Too little levening, and it's a brick. Fold in the beaten eggs at the wrong time, or forget to alternate the flour with the milk -- both lead to disasterous baking results. It's all so exacting.

For years I have been searching for the perfect sugar cookie recipe. There are some good ones out there, but never have I found THE ONE....until now. This might be it. And it just so happens that my brain thought it up all by itself, surprisingly enough.

Sarah's Super Simple Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar.
Add vanilla and eggs.
Add flour & baking powder mix.

Bake 9 minutes at 375 degrees.

Sweet Tilly Blessings

When we first got Tilly several months ago, she was so sweet and gentle that it seemed like she could be a comfort to others as she has been for us. After nursing her back to health physically, I went about contacting a group here in Houston called Faithful Paws. Faithful Paws' mission is to bring trained animals into hospitals, nursing homes and rehab facilities in order to administer therapy to adults and children. The therapy can be as simple as letting a patient pet a dog, or letting the patient work on fine motor skills by brushing the dog.

Animal assisted therapy is recognized as being both therapeutic and recreational. Health care professionals have noticed and documented the therapeutic effect of animal companionship, such as relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, and raising spirits. In recent years, therapy dogs have even been enlisted to help children overcome speech and emotional disorders. (Wow.)

Before attending the first training class, the Amazing Reese and I were invited to participate in a "blessing of the animals." There were dogs of all description, birds, cats, mice, hamsters, and even a turtle in attendance, all with their humans, of course. After a short outdoor service that included a homily, a few prayers, and singing All Things Bright and Beautiful, we all lined up with our pets for a blessing by the preacher dude. Here, the preacher dude (priest?) has just finished blessing Tilly in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Amen.)


The preacher dude (minister?) couldn't stop gushing over how beautiful and sweet Tilly is. (She is.) Teasingly, I said, "I bet you say that to all the dogs." (He doesn't.)

Tilly did surprisingly well at our first class last week, considering she was basically new at all of the skills. (Sit. Down. Stay. Tilly, come! Good girl.) We've been working hard all week long, taking advantage of every opportunity to practice in public. (Sit. Down. Stay. Tilly, come! Good girl.) Tilly excels at giving unconditional love....or at least the dog form of unconditional love. She'll let you tug her ears and tail, hug, and pet her ad infinitum. The hardest discipline for Tilly, and what we've specifically been working on this week, is over-reacting when she sees a cat or a squirrel. (Tilly, look at me.) And me? Sympathetic to her natural instincts, I have to train MYSELF to train her to not react in those situations. (Good girl, Sarah.)

Wiggly Life with Tulips

Yesterday was one of those days....no, no, no, not one of THOSE days; just an ordinary day with expectations, and then the expectations were crushed. It was a day where I had set aside a time and prepared a still life to paint. Everything was ready. And then, by the grace of God, one of my daughters agreed to pose for me....and so I painted her instead. And the portrait was SO terrible, that I wiped it off and wondered if all of this was a fluke. Do I even know how to paint? Then, because the still life was prepared, I painted that, too. In my insecurity, last night I was whining and moaning about not knowing anything and Reese reminded me that I go through this process about twice a month -- wondering if I actually know how to paint....and then I dreamed about it. I actually dreamed about writing this blog entry (and the responses to it), spilling all of my insecurities about painting and wondering if painting/art is what I should continue to pursue....


So after painting my daughter and wiping all of the work off the canvas because the painting was grotesque, I painted a still life of tulips. The last time I painted tulips was several years ago. That time and this, the tulips kept moving and changing so much that they were hard to follow and paint. They wiggled. They weren't still at all. Who knew tulips behaved this way? So, instead of calling this a Still Life with Tulips, this is called a Wiggly Life with Tulips. It's 12" x 16" oil on linen.

Get Thee From A Nunnery

Back in the 50's and 60's, my grandmother (for whom I am named) had an antique shop on State Street in Jackson, Mississippi. To find items for her shop, she scoured the countryside for treasures. On one trip to New Orleans she found a pile of chairs on the street outside a nunnery. My guess is that sometime between 1960 and 1974, my grandmother was in the right place at the right time when these chairs were being thrown out with the trash. The best I can figure from a little bit of internet research, is that the chairs came from the old Ursuline Convent, which, in 1960, was declared a National Historic Landmark.

My parents have the chairs around their breakfast table in Mississippi. Either my grandmother collected all of the chairs outside the convent and sold one, or someone else gathered a few, because surprisingly enough, this one, the one in the painting, was discovered at The Guild Shop here in Houston.


The Guild Shop is a consignment/re-sale shop with an ever changing inventory. When the Amazing Reese and I got married, we, as mentioned before, were so poor we couldn't even afford the "o" and the "r" in poor. We were just po. To furnish our home, I followed in my grandmother's footsteps, scouring the streets and re-sale shops for almost every piece of furniture we have. On one of my many trips to the Guild Shop, I saw this chair and, of course, recognized it immediately.

The Guild Shop lists three prices on each item they sell. The highest price is a "buy it now" price. The second lower price is generally one month later, with the final lowest price marked at the beginning of the third month. Taking a chance (because we were po,) I waited until the final markdown price to buy it. (I even put the final markdown date on the calendar.) At the front door when the Guild Shop opened the beginning of that third month, I hurried to the chair to claim it. On my heels, another person was coming for the same chair, also having put the date on his calendar for the final markdown, and was supremely disappointed to have missed it.

This trash to treasure chair is one of my favorite pieces of furniture in our home and is living happily in the art studio. (I honestly can't verify the history of this particular chair, but the eight chairs around my parent's breakfast table are just like it, and I'd like to think that my grandmother touched this chair, too.)

See Tilly Grow

In mid January, we adopted a standard poodle (Tilly) from the Humane Society. We couldn't tell at the time because she was covered in a mess of hair, but she was in bad shape.


Look at her now. Her weight has doubled, and day by day, she is learning to fully trust us.


She might actually be the best dog ever.

Clearing House

Sarah Hazel Art Studio is clearing house.

On the table (literally) are eight paintings from 2005-ish that will be given away. For my gentle readers, this offer is on a first come first served basis.


Up for grabs are from left to right, starting on the top row: Sister Friends (24" x 30"), Little Cowgirl (16" x 20"), Tea Party (20" x 24").
Middle: Apples and Pears (11" x 14").
Bottom row, left to right: Aspens (16" x 20"), Garlic and Tomatoes (11" x 14"), Paperwhites (11" x 14"), and Sisters Fishing (22" x 28").

Donations accepted (but not required.) Only one painting per collector. All work unframed. Unless an adequate tip is included in addition to shipping costs, no shipping. I, Sarah Hazel, retain the rights to all images.
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*Thanks for the overwhelming response. All paintings are now gone.

Cottonwood Revisited

After the project for the American Heart Association was turned in, gone, no longer at our house, I kind of missed it.

So, I painted the image again. This time, instead of being painted on a giant art heart, it's on a 36" x 48" canvas. It's quite large (for me.)


Now, this isn't an exact copy....it's only inspired from the original. Some of the same techniques were used as were used in the last piece. Such as, this was painted in thin layers with drying time in between. The sky got three layers. The field got at least three layers, and I don't remember how many layers of paint are on the tree. Also, I loved the color scheme of the art heart and wanted to work in that same color scheme again. The purple, blue, orange, and yellow form a tetrad on the color wheel, which was an accidental discovery after the art heart was completed.

The Smell of Freedom

One of our friends named Minh immigrated to the US from Vietnam as a teenager. He tells the story of when he and his family arrived in Guam. Riding to the military base from the boat in the back of a pick up truck, he smelled the air and thought to himself, "That's the smell of freedom." After being in a communist oppressed country, everything was new and beautiful to him. Years passed and he never smelled that particular scent again. But while visiting a friend in New York, he smelled it. He excitedly exclaimed to his friend, "I smell it. That's the smell of freedom!" His friend was puzzled. Undeterred, Minh explained his first impression of being on free soil and how powerful a feeling it was to him as a young man and how he associated that smell with the smell of freedom. This was the first time he had smelled the same scent since his first moments on free soil. His friend said, "You like that smell? Dude, that's a skunk."

***********************************************************

Last night I went to an artist talk at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston by my friend and fellow artist, Jonatan Lopez. Jonatan and I first met in October 2008 during Fresh Art's MADE FROM IKE exhibit benefiting Americans for the Arts at the Caroline Collective. I immediately liked his work and almost as immediately, commissioned him to make a pit lantern for us out of our old Weber grill. He and I have been in several shows together since then. We have lots of mutual art friends, and consequently run into each other on a fairly regular basis at various openings and art events.

Ours is an unlikely friendship. He's Latino, young, and energetic. I'm a middle aged white woman. Lately, he's been more and more extreme in the message that's attached to his art. Me? I'm the exact opposite. Very unextreme -- in life and the art I create.


I like Jonatan. He's kind, friendly, thoughtful, a hard worker -- qualities that I admire in anyone. He's a real go-getter. He's constantly exhibiting and expanding his repertoire artistically. He's moved from metal sculpture to performance art to installations to film to curating -- he's talented. Did I say he's talented? In the last two years, some (not all) of his shows have exhibited a decidedly darker view of life. Religion, sexuality, politics -- all are fair game in his artistic expressions, always pushing the envelope, and in his own words "questioning and defying mainstream views." Whether or not I agree with his "in your face" message doesn't mean that it's not OK for him to preach it.

His current work is clearly striking a cord within the Houston art scene. Good grief. He was giving an artist talk at the Contemporary Arts Museum! Last year he had an exhibit space at Project Row Houses. Those are big deals. I like Jonatan. I like him as a person. I believe in him as an artist. He's incredibly talented and thoughtful. I can fully endorse his (as he called them) decorative arts, including the two pieces in our own personal collection.

The current religious, sexual, and political work is causing me a crisis of conscience to endorse. It's hard to separate this newer art from the message. The message is the art and the art is the message. It doesn't mean that I don't like him; it's just that some of his art is not what I would ever choose to display in my living room, except, of course, for the two pieces that we already own.

Jonatan's artistic freedom of expression is applauded and accepted, especially by the art elite, or at least it seems that way. I'm pretty open to artistic freedom. I don't even mind that Jonatan creates what he creates. More power to him -- honestly. I'm continually impressed by Jonatan's artistry. I want all the best for Jonatan. What really happened at the talk last night, and the reason for this extended explanation, was that I was uncomfortably bombarded by Jonatan's political, sexual, and religious views through his artistic expression. I just wasn't expecting such a visually graphic lecture. Shame on me for being naive.

I'm proud of him for all that he is accomplishing in the Houston art scene. Freedom of expression should smell sweet to all of us, whether we have a crisis of conscience or not.

Babysitting

The Amazing Reese and I sometimes babysit our niece and nephew. Last time, they went in Tilly's cage all by themselves -- promise.

Let Things GO With The Flow

As a child vies for attention when his mother talks on the phone, my thoughts are competing for attention in my brain. With so many competing ideas in my head, formulating a single train of thought is almost impossible. One thing, does it do any good to sit here and stare at an empty computer screen when I can't think of anything (instructive, uplifting, constructive, compelling....) to say?

Today's thoughts are thoughts of introspection, and I'm not sure that you, gentle reader, actually want to go on a tour of my brain.

1. There are several instances in my life where people have believed in me more than I have. The Amazing Reese is one of those people. He daily encourages and enables me to live well.

2. Over the weekend, through the magic of facebook, I heard from a high school era friend. A wave of memories followed. It made me realize that I'm very much the same person, even though I've changed a lot.

3. Every day I make choices in how to live. For instance, every morning I choose coffee.

4. Not everyone understands or appreciates my way of living. A lot of people want me to be someone different. Why is this? Why would anyone want someone else to not be who they are?

5. Some days I don't fully understand myself. Does that matter? Do I need to understand everything?

6. I would like to have all of the health benefits of running without the actual running part.

7. It sometimes makes me sad that I don't enjoy running anymore. Then I think of all of the other things that use up time that are less physically strenuous -- like for instance, drinking coffee.

8. I love Jesus but I drink a little.

9. I'm 47. I wish I were more fit, but not enough to do anything about it. See #6 and #8.

10. Sometimes, even at artistic or creative events, I realize that I'm a little bit outside the box. Then I think that if I were in the same box as everyone else, it would be very crowded. Even though I don't mind boxes, I would prefer not to be in one.

Flat Elizabeth

The field trips continue. This time, Flat Elizabeth came to visit all the way from Hillsdale Elementary in Hayesville, Ohio. Her Aunt Gail brought her over to see the mural on the back of the house. (She loved it!)

Flat Elizabeth also enjoyed petting our wonderfully gentle and friendly poodle, Tilly.

Spring Verses Winter

In winter sleeps the morning sun
whose rise is slow and sure
In spring the morning starts to rush
the dawn is quick, then done

It's noisy in the springtime, yes,
the land has been at rest
A slower pace in winter months
gives way to busyness.

A shouting match starts off the day
between the cat and jay,
and then a man begins to mow
and blow the grass away

One might assume that all is new
and great because it's spring
It seems my mind is winter full
and springy thoughts are few

When will the paint flow free again
and inspiration come?
Abide my soul till that day soon
and I will paint the land

Come join me one, come join me all
let's paint together now
that spring has come. Come sunshine fill
the air, my heart, my whole.