"Practice is the best of all instructors" (-Publilius Syrus)

Thank you to everyone who sent me such sweet notes and good wishes.  I've never been gone from my blog this long before, so I apologize for losing touch.    I had been sick, and then,  life just caught up with me, and I had no time at all to get to my blog.  

It's also been weeks since I picked up a paintbrush, and boy, can I tell!  I feel like I'm starting all over again.  That said, though, I'm actually a firm believer in taking time, stepping back, and letting the creative juices bubble up again when they're supposed to.  

I was visiting my dad, (who lives with my sister's family, in Georgia) this past weekend.  My brother-in-law, the biologist, has been the recipient of several mugs I've had made for him with some of my watercolor bird images on them.  He's got mugs with a bluebird, (of course,) a tufted titmouse, a ruby-crested kinglet, and a  Carolina chickadee on them.  On this last visit, he smiled and told me he "needs" one of a red-breasted woodpecker, so I'll have to get busy and practice those, so I can make him another mug.  

I'd told myself that I want to do some more portraits, and I'm going to do my best to get cranking on some of those, but let's face it, birds are sort of portraits, too, right?  

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

And here's my new mantra:

"What a player does best, he should practice least.  Practice is for problems."   (-Unknown)

My talented friend, Rick Tulka, once told me to chill out about learning, and I've never forgotten what he said:

"Don't worry.  Just keep going.  Play, move forward, fall back, it's all a game."  

He's so right...