....that's all....NOTHING.....I've done absolutely nothing artistically since mom died in April. I have several great ideas..I have several great prelim. sketches..I have several great roughs on the boards..I have a couple of WIPs.............but I can't seem to sit down and do a damned thing with any of it. Every time I try...I cry. Mom was an artist; and a damned good one too! What little talent I possess..I got from her; what little art instruction I had over the years, I got from 9th grade art, 12th grade art (9 weeks each) and her..........and now she's gone and every time I think about art or trying to work on anything artistic; I cry. Just the mere thought of trying makes me want to curl into a fetal position in a dark place and die. Art was always such an intregral(sp) part of our mother/daughter relationship...and now that is gone.

UGH!

I hate this! I hate feeling this way! I hate that mom died!

Holy Moly!!!!
I opened DA today and what do I see????
One of my little doodles on the front page as a DD!!!!
Never thought that would happen.
Brought tears to my eyes.....and a big ol' smile to my lips.

I need to say some very heartfelt thank yous here..........

To `sphilr: for suggesting "Blue Kitty" for consideration as a DD and for your beautiful comments regarding this piece. She (the real life "Blue Kitty" on whom this work is based) always made me feel so peaceful and special.....gone 11 years but never forgotten or far from my heart.

To $spinegrinder: Thank you for featuring my work.

Thank you to others here at DA who have featured pieces of my work on their pages.

Thank you to the people who thought my work worthy of being selected as a DD.


And finally, but not least by a long shot...........

THANK YOU: to everyone who looked at my work, to everyone who added "Blue Kitty" and other pieces of my work to their favorites lists, to everyone who left me such wonderful comments (I WILL respond to each comment, I promise....might take me awhile, but I will do it), to everyone who added me to their friends lists, to those who requested pieces of my work be made available as prints (taken under advisement and serious consideration)............I appreciate you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I honestly never expected this....I'm just....shocked and amazed!

THANK YOU ALL.

Now I guess I best get busy and make some time to get some more stuff done and up for "all y'all"!!!! I do have several pieces "in the works" but nothing ready for posting.....yet....I'll get on it....promise....

(amazed, dazed and floating away on cloud9)

To everyone who sent me a note that I have not yet responded to:

Thank you so much for your notes/comments and I apologize for not responding sooner. As noted earlier, I've been in and out of the hospital several times over the last 2.5 months and am just now beginning to feel better. I promise I will try to do better at keeping up to date.

Finally.....something new. I started this piece before I got sick in May. I've worked on it between hospital stays and have *finally* finished it. This is my first piece of pastel work in over 20 years....I was a bit hesitant (sp?) to even try to do a pastel piece after so many years; guess I was afraid I'd "lost the ability".

I'm looking forward to doing more pastel pieces in the near future and I'm thrilled to be out of the hospital!!!!! LOL.

Just a *very* short update from my hospital bed.....yes....hospital....NOT my favorite place to be. It can be a "good" thing though....how?...well, when I get home I'm going to have to be doing a lot of "sitting around and recovering" and that can mean I'll actually be doing some drawing for once. Ok.....back to resting and recovering.