Sold!

Susan called, and sold another painting today, to another person. I guess I'm on a roll!

I Would Fly

I would, truly--I would fly. On second thought, maybe this should be "I Will Fly" instead?

Enjoy Your Coffee!

My friend Kelly emailed this story to me this morning. It somehow seems so appropriate for me in my life right now, and I wanted to share it.

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general ...

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee..

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering ... "You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued ... "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups... Then you began eyeing each other’s cups ...."

"Now consider this:
Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live.

Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us ... God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have ... So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God.

And remember - the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

Experimenting Last Night

Oh my, that sounds much more exciting than it actually was, since I was experimenting with sketching; here are the results.

Hooray!

Got a message from Susan at Easelheads Gallery, and apparently I sold a painting yesterday. No idea which one, but yay!

Playing with Photoshop

Thinking about a series of these, to mount on boards and put on the wall as a group...?

Tutoring went well, too...

Not only did the "algebra utoring' go well yesterday, the algebra TUTORING went well, too. I do love teaching...

More sketches, as Jenny was home sick today, slight temp, stuffy, and achy. When she's sick I don't get out to the studio much, obviously, although I did talk her into coming down here for awhile and lying on the couch. All of these sketches are done from Photobooth pictures.

Time for a Change

Decided that it was time for a change in the blog design. I was never happy with how that yellow background looked on different monitors...

I'm working on a new blog header design, but that kind of stuff always comes from lots and lots of experimentation, so it takes time.

Algebra utoring today went well. The only things left on the list today are picking Katie up from chorus rehearsal and cooking dinner.

More Sketches

Well, the girls started school last Thursday, Joel starts tomorrow. Of course, Richard's been at work as the new principal of one of the local high schools, but tomorrow's his first day with all the students there. I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have something new and exciting going on, but that's okay because I'm looking forward to getting back out to the studio without feeling guilty that I'm not with my family.

I've got some new ideas--lots of them, in fact, so I'll be sharing the journey, but for now I'll just show you some more sketches. Most of these were done based on people from a 1928 high school yearbook!

Remember Dinah?

Remember Dinah? The dog that went to the vet clinic to be boarded AND SPAYED while we were on vacation, that the vet LOST, that was loose in Porterville for a month, that we miraculously got back?

Well, she's lactating.

If I were brave enough, I'd insert a bad word right here.

More Journal Images

Fun Journal Pages

Found the directions for these over at Caspiana--reminded me of piece I made for a trade over at The Land of Lost Luggage last year.

Directions are given daily, and because I never know exactly what's going to come next, I don't seem to get so attached to the outcome, which makes the whole process just FUN. I enjoy stuff like this so much, it occurred to me that maybe I should 'host' one of these some time... Hmmm... I'll have to think about that.

Found this at Olivia's

Be Brave

I just got a comment from Kelly over at Kikipotamus the Hobo. She says that she has the same problem that I do: she wants to compare herself to others, especially during "Be Brave."

I want to share the things I'm doing, so I will. I'll keep trying to quiet that little voice in my head...

I've been out in the studio every day this week. I've taken pictures everyday, and painted, and sketched. For me, right now, this seems huge.

My sister never called me back; not a surprise, but not what I was hoping for. I called and said, "I miss you," and I suppose that's enough.

I also decided this week that I'm not going to run for the school board again. I've had many people, both teachers and parents, ask me to, but it has taken a real toll on me during the last four years. I know I've made a difference, and I know I could continue making a difference, but I'm tired. I'm tired of having certain people (only four people, actually) cast me as the bad guy just because I'm willing to face problems instead of trying to pretend that they don't exist.

A few weeks ago I found out that one of the four, someone whom I've considered a friend, has said to people that she "doesn't trust a word Karen Smithey says." I don't believe that I deserve that. I've never run around behind anyone's back--when I've seen problems I've always gone to the school and been open about them.

Anyhow, this decision is a big one for me. I love the school, and it's hard to say, "I don't want to do this anymore," especially when people in the community say, "But you're the only one who wants to deal with problems rather than cover them up or ignore them."

But if I listen to my intuition, I know that this is what I need to do. Quitting can be brave, too, can't it?