Dear
Friends,
Happy Valentines Day! This is the month we
honor love. Like most everybody, I've spent a few bummer
Valentines Days over the years. Love I learned is a practice.
So is art, prayer, parenting, exercise, eating and most
anything else that you participate in with your heart and soul.
It all becomes a spiritual practice, and each of us brings our
unique presence in the practice of our lives to the world.
Lavishing beauty on the world is my way of dealing with the
negative news that streams from all around the world into
my TV set, computer and radio.
Sharing beauty motivates me to begin blogging. I've
discovered that I enjoy the artistic discipline of blogging.
Writing, like painting is both a craft and art. Searching for
things to write about is similar to beginning a painting. I sit
quietly with my tools at hand, shut my eyes briefly to signal
my mind that I'm entering my place of creative flow and
begin.
Sometimes that place leads me to history.
As a life-long artist, I've done a lot of different types of
art jobs to stay housed and fed. For a couple of years I was a
billboard painter. Now that it's a lost art, I wrote the essay,
Painting Big - My Life as a Billboard
Painter, about my history painting the 24' long outdoor ad
murals.
All of this writing hasn't left much free
time. I invented Santa Fe Chicken
Rice for those days that I don't have much motivation in
the kitchen. When you're not cooking or otherwise creating,
remember to check out my blog.
Send me your creative comments and questions and I'll answer
them on the blog. Whether you're wondering what color to paint
a wall, how to teach someone (yourself!) to draw, make a killer
cookie or talk about art, I'd love to hear from you.
