Yesterday I found out that a man I know has died.  He worked for me directly around 3 years and had been diagnosed with cancer for a little over the past year.  I can only say that I will miss him in my life.  It's not that we saw each other much or even phoned.  It is just his way of being that I will miss and remember.  Every time I saw Carl he would be so excited to see me and wear the biggest smile.  He always gave me a hug and said how much he missed me (I left the company we worked for last summer).  It's uncommon in life to find someone who greats you so warmly, shows such sincere love in their eyes, like a long-lost friend, especially when they aren't family or someone you know intimately.  I'll miss him mostly because every time we saw one another he made me feel loved.  I can only hope that one day I am able to give that gift to others in my life.  It reminds me what we all need so desperately in our lives, to feel truly loved for "just being". 

Still felling unwell and mostly tired.  Today is going to be purely for sleeping.  I did want to update however.  I got accepted into Pocono Arts.  Not sure when and where the work will be exhibited, but it's a start.

Marathon at Lafayette yesterday.  I had a great time.  Only stayed for 3 poses, missing the last one.  I have a bit of a cold at the moment and was wiped out after 9 hours.  I found out some days/times when there are life models available weekly.  So once the class I'm taking is over I have the opportunity to go twice a week if I want to.  There's even two day poses available so I can finish something really ambitious.  I think that's once per month.  I left one of the drawings there for display purposes and brought 2 home.  They are posted on the WIP page.  I can't express how lovely it was to be there and how fortunate I feel to have this gift back in my life.  I was nearly brought to tears of joy midway through the session.  Thank god I didn't give up my work.

Dropped off 8 paintings at Pocono Arts Council for exhibition consideration yesterday (on my way to work, of course).  One of them was unframed and the woman working there immediately said, "wow, that's beautiful".  A good sign. 
     It would be nice to one day somehow sell some more, paint more and "work", as the real world calls it, less.  In that spirit, I have added prices on my home page.  I'm also working on a PayPal setup...we'll see how that works.  May have to just send money to myself before I try it on a real buyer.  I don't want to mess with anyone's hard earned cash until I figure out the kinks of it.  I'm thinking that once I start to sell some, it would be easy to keep going indefinitely, as I have an extensive collection of older work and always new ones underway.  I may be able to eek out a living at this one day.  Funny, I haven't even thought about that possibility in YEARS. 
     Taking the life drawing studio has been good for me as well.  A little discipline is good for any artist, keeps you in the studio more and is helping me refocus my time management skills. 

Time has been tight this month.  I'm taking a life drawing studio once per week.  I've been learning alot, but working crazy hours and spending my remaining time on homework.  I'm feeling very out of balance lately.  There hasn't been time for painting or meditation...think I need to crank down the amount of time spent on homework.  After all, it's a non credit class for me (unlike the rest of the students).  I'm sure I'll figure it out.  Just wanted to log on quick.  Hope everyone likes the new offering and it finds a "good home".

Finished up this month's offering in the studio this moring.  It's called "morning light" because the last 2 early mornings of painting were spent watching the light from my window dance on the paper as I worked.  It was very calming. 

Tomorrow starts a four month life drawing class and I am very excited.  I really miss drawing the figure and it is a real treat to have a live model 3 hours per week....not to mention "enforced studio time" even if I am struggling. 

Today I am off from work and trying to get as much recoup time in as possible.  Seeing chiro and massage therapist, still can't sit properly to meditate due to a bad 6" bruise on the underside of my knee.  Silly, clumsy me at work, dropped a heavy pallet on myself.  Well, off to cut paper for tomorrow and pack up supplies.  I'm working 4am to 10am so I can go to class noon-3p and need to be ready.

Spent some time yesterday with a local framer getting ready to apply for an exhibition.  Also a little bit of time spent in the studio.  I'm nervous about getting into the show and about the potential cost of framing.  Sometimes it seems as though we are going in reverse on the debt issue.  When I look at it, it's more like staying the same.  Besides the debt, it's important for me to remember that some of it is because Keith is in school, I am enrolled in a class, framing work, cost of painting supplies, etc.  These are all good things and worth the debt.  The rest is house, cars, etc. and let's face it, we all have transportation and housing costs.  Still, it gives me some anxiety at times.  Therefore, I'm off to work to pay those bills shortly.  Hope I can paint in the next few days.  My schedule is very tight. 

Worked on new website format today.  Think it works well.  The photo at top is from some shots I took last summer.