The Green Man Cometh with Chuck Close

This is a picture of me when I woke up this morning, beore I had coffee. I was lost in thought and trying to decide to wear my pink panties or my boring white ones.

There is always a lot going on and there are so many posts that I don't write that I should write. There is so much that I leave out that I want to share. Tonight as American Idol decides who's getting cut I am going to tell you What's on my mind...

• The sale of the restaurant and hotel, tomorrow it's official. This means more breathing room in my life



• Green Man...the male equivalent to Mother Earth. I feel some art coming up around this and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I think thoughts of Spring are creeping up on me and I seem to hear him whispering...



• Chuck Close, the artist. I am blown away by his self portraits and can't stop looking at the volume lent me by my artist/teacher. Please take a moment to Google this man and see what you get, I couldn't decide which of the sites had the best information on him. His work is fascinating. Gridding and painting.



• Moving...I have found new digs and am working out the kinks. I can't wait to relocate to a place where I can truly spread my wings and start anew. The one year anniversary of my big D (and I don't mean Dallas) has somehow freed me.



• Painting...finding my groove. This isn't easy. Fine art at school is different than the mixed media approach that I love. I am being challenged and ultimately that is good. I am enjoying the process even though it has been excruciating at times. I feel willing to make mistakes in order to learn and can I say this: I AM MAKING MISTAKES. Teacher says that if you like one in ten paintings or if one in ten paintings really work then you've done well. So there! See, I didn't know that. I thought they would all just fall together. Uh-uh. NO! I kind of struggle with embarrassment because in my circles I am the artistic "go-to" girl and now...well, I'm just secondary. I am learning to be okay with secondary because I know it is temporary. I am still trying to figure out my style. Bear with me, because it could get really ugly! (No pity, friends, I am okay with all of this. I think it is helping my personal growth quite a lot).



• Personal growth...I am reading "Conversations With God....Book 3" by Neale Donald Walsh. I am moved to tears with hope. Even if you don't believe that God came and spoke through NDW every word you read is beautiful and uplifting. There are times in this book that I have had to put the book down and laugh out loud. God is hilarious.



• Love...the slow but sure mending of my inner world...the constant and reassuring love of my baby brother, mother, father, former in-laws, children and friends old and new has brought me a feeling of support and community. This was much needed.



• Happiness...it's inevitable. I write A LOT. I draw and paint A LOT. I think A LOT. I pray A LOT. I believe & it's all good.

Ride the wave, friends. Just ride the wave.

P.S. That isn't really me in the photo above.