june 28th

i just found out i'm going to get to be one of the artists represented at the annual Love for Kids, Inc. event, Palette to Palate!!! (I'll be there in connection with WAAS Gallery in deep ellum). Love for Kids, Inc. is a Dallas-based charity that helps disadvantaged, terminally ill, and handicapped children. I'll donate one painting and have up to 5 other paintings up for auction. It'll be on Saturday, August 25th from 7:30-11:30 pm. i'll post more info later on

http://palettetopalate.org/

june 26th, gerhard richter

june 19th

me and morris, we made this painting/mixed media piece for Best Buddies Texas' Life is Sweet event (Wed, June 20th, 6:30-9 at CityPlace off 75 and Haskell in Dallas)

june 7th

Monet, The Cliffs at Etretat, 1885

I got to see this! -this past weekend at the Age of Impressionism, Great French Paintings from the Clark at the Kimbell in Ft. Worth. BEAUTIFUL, the colors glow in it, sigh, it is wonderful

june 1st

my good buddy kelsey told me about this site called "what is dallas" ( http://whatisdallas.com/ ), and now i have a little bubble in it, too! :) (yip!) i was looking at the creator's own site/blog and he's an illustrator and designer-but what really interested me was that he has sections of his blog where he talks about his faith -in relation to his work or just about faith in general. i really identified with his post the week of may 22nd:

"On Faith

My heart is so full of thanks. Not just for all that I have but for all the people around me. I love the relationships God has given me to invest in and be invested in by. It really opened up room in my heart when I realized I don’t have to be friends with everyone, but instead could choose to invest my time to those closest to me.

I’ve been learning a lot about boundaries this year. Where and how to draw them is sometimes difficult. I’ve had my feelings hurt by other peoples boundaries simply because I didn’t understand the importance of them at the time. But seeing the value of protecting your heart and who you choose to share it has been really rewarding to me. To put it simply, I’ve given up trying to please everybody and instead just focused on being myself and being open with those closest to me."

this is what i think my mom has always told me about when she tells me about "the freedom of Christ"-that you don't have to try to take on too much or try to juggle everything and everyone and their everything-because you cant (and i can't);  i admit its a huge struggle for me. but we-or, hello, i- need to give it up and admit God's the only one that can carry me. from that then we can actually start to pour into the people He's planned for our lives- and in a way that has substance and sincerity. - i think when i try to take on too much and please everyone, really, it's more for me and trying to stay in people's good graces, ( and be a people pleaser) and keep up a good image of myself for them- basically, it ends up being all for me- and it absolutely cheapens those relationships. i like where the site designer said above that he wants to focus on being himself and being open w those closest to him. -it's such a liberating idea. why are we living if we're just in this dreamland of "all we accomplish, all on our own strength and 'look at how effortless i make it look' " when that's not reality at all