A flowers purpose is to attract attention. 
das Uninsured
The CDC estimates that half of all Americans do NOT have health insurance. If competition is a basic tenet of capitalism, what do private insurers fear? And if they are so good at insurance, why are half of all Americans exposed to financial disaster from any health issue? Sure you make more profit off of the young and healthy, but isn’t the idea of insurance to spread the risk?
Mullein
I’m a color fanatic, so this is very difficult for me. Good for me like exercise, but not easy. Ah, well, better to stretch and try than to shrivel up and be stuck in a cramped comfort zone.
balance
I can’t maintain a high degree of pissed offedness for long. It’s just not worth it. 
Torrit grey and agave w/ yellow
Gamblin paints has a contest to make a painting using only Torrit Grey, black and white. I like the idea of torrit, a paint made from all of the pigment dust they collected making paints last year. Unfortunately for a color addict like me this is HARD.
I usually work on several paintings at a time. I planted this agave about 5 years ago in San Antonio. Then they were only in the yards of old Mexican women. Now they are chic. They grow like crazy and this one has lots of “pups”. I took these photos on our last visit to SA. I’m thinking of doing a screen with the agave images. I’m also exploring a possible studio so I have some more room. It seems foolish since I’m not making any money to pay for it. But if one screen sells, it’ll pay for quite a few things. Since the economy tanked I’m not so faithful about financial things.
Surprise
Gregg and I do crossword puzzles, thanks to Unkie Dave. A clue was “artist with a melted clock”. The boys say the key to comedy is surprise. I think a painting should surprise the painter. I can’t tell about all of the rest of you, maybe I’m easily surprised.
Painting more than writing
The last entry was September, 2007. I still haven’t finished that story because I shifted my focus to painting. Forrest & Graham moved out in June, and by July I had made myself a nice studio. A whole room to myself, and I spill over into Gregg’s office, especially when we are framing. I got “Bettie in Blue” into the national juried show “Boundaries” at the Asheville Area Arts Center. It sold! Now that’s encouragement. In October I showed some paintings at the Haywood Public Library. The subject was an old log cabin that sits in my “stone” garden. I sold two paintings from that show to a retired veterinarian who had tested animals going into space at Randolph Air Base. Gregg and I inherited my parent’s house outside of San Antonio, just south or Randolph. Coincidence or conspiracy? Hey, my kids are funny, they had to get it from somewhere. Anyway, Dr. Harry also commissioned a painting of a log and stone potato cellar that was on his property and provided me with photos. I’ve done several paintings from these photos.
Gregg and I spent December in San Antonio until the week before Christmas. We celebrated Christmas at F&G’s home. Talk about freedom, no Christmas decorations! So I’ve been on a painting streak, a series I call “Disappearing Rural Architecture Portraits”. And I’m having so much fun. I will be showing these in the Gallery at HART Theater, May 22 to June 8. There is a diversity in surfaces; paper, canvas, and panel. The sizes range from small for me, 8”x10”, to a screen that’s 80” x 56”. The play at HART is “On Golden Pond” and the rural theme should complement the play nicely, I think. If you aren’t going to be in Waynesville, check out the Portfolio part of this website.
If you haven’t been counting your blessings every day, get to it!
self portrait, Short Ridge
Hydrotherapy
Bettie in Green
