Yes and No

I'm giving my friend a book about saying "yes" tonight, which
is funny because she's very agreeable, and kind, and does say
"yes" a lot. I saw the book in a bookstore, and my inordinate
curiosity made me buy it. It is one of those books you can read
in a night, so when she's finished, I'll take a glance at it.

On the other hand, one of the big things we teach our students
in school success is how to say "no" to friends, parents, anyone
who pulls them away from their studies.

A class sketch from
my Tuesday art class
acrylic on watercolour paper

I guess the answer is balance. One year I was so excited about being
asked to participate in huge number of shows, that I said "yes" to
everything, even to craft shows where the chances of selling fine
art were slim to none. Now I try to go with my gut. If it feels like
I'll enjoy it, learn something, meet people -- I'll do it.

In the past day we've driven 1,000 kilometers, or half the distance
from Toronto to Nova Scotia -- that's about 600 miles. We left Friday
after work, stayed the night in London, then drove on to Windsor,
had lunch with Sam, gave him a cake, drove back and had
cake in Toronto with Josephine and Luigi for Steven's birthday.
It was too late when we got together to go anywhere, and Steven
was exhausted from the drive, so we sang Happy Birthday to him
and played two games of cribbage.

Sammy loved his cake and gifts. Steven loved his birthday dinner in
Port Stanley on Lake Erie, at Me and Suzie, a great restaurant, last night.
The drive was just insane with horrendous traffic out of Toronto,
heavy rain and hail! But the restaurant held our dinner for us,
and it was delicious.

Now it's bed time, and the family birthdays are all over. Happy, Happy
Birthday to the Scorpio wing of the family (four of us).

Driving home today the landscape was spectacular, moody low slung
grey skies, bright yellow maple leaves and brilliant yellow roadside
grasses, then luminous, green stripes of spring wheat. A painter's dream.

Now it's time for this weary painter to dream. I say "yes" to that
idea.

Have a saying-yes-to-happiness day.

At last my painting is done

Hi,

I know -- if you've been tracking the progress of this
work you see that the face changes quite a bit as I go
along. True and that's another reason to keep it away from the client's understandably curious eyes until it "feels",finished. It isn't completely ready until the client says so, but I like to invited scrutiny when the work is so close that the client will more than likely approve it when it's unveiled (pulled out of the plastic bag.) In almost every case so far when I've done a portrait the clients have turned and hugged me with joy. I'm pretty sure they weren't faking that emotion. But I have to feel happy first. I have to think, "you know what, this is pretty wonderful. I am good!" And that certainty doesn't come too easily to me.

One way that I know a painting is almost ready, is that
I start to talk to the image as if the person is really in
the room with me. No. I'm not crazy, but although I'm
not going for a high realism look in my portraits, I do
want the painting to say -- I am ________ fill in the
name. In Elizabeth's case I was very lucky because her
parents own a lot of paintings, her dad is an accomplished
artist himself, and they love paint, they love individuality,
and wanted what I do. That made me feel much more confident
and free when I began to work.

It's Sunday. I've been away all week, and I'm tired. We're
going to take our boy to dinner, or order in takeout,
and watch movies. I hope you have similarly enjoyable
plans.

Have a congenial day!