I cannot even describe what I felt when I came across this paper of my drawings of Garfield. I must have been twelve, I remember drawing these images... I loved them so much at the time, I still do.

I am often asked whether my being an artist has an effect on my kids creativity. In response to that particular question I can't help but show off these photos of their creativity manifesting itself. Knitting is Aleahs recent endeavor but I cannot even begin to describe what she comes up with. You should see what this kid can do with a glue gun. Once she made a "house" out of yellow sticky notes and staples. If I could just tap into a tiny amount of the creativity she possesses... and then there is Eve who the other morning was burning a path from the drawer (where we keep all the things you see in her hair) and the living room. At the time I just smiled as I could tell she was up to something and her actions filled with purpose and then she came to me like this... yes, that is a watch dangling from her right pony tail ( and why not)!

This is the painting that came as a result of a 10 hour drive through Wyoming. As I drove along I visualised this woman. I loved the color of the chartreuse wildflowers against the long grass and knew that was the color combination I would put on her dress... and the grey of the sky became her eyes.

Last Thursday I went to the Utah Arts Festival and it was like Christmas for my artist. Barb Campbell, who only comes once every couple of years was there... so I bought a piece (or more) of her work. Some of my new pieces are in the middle photo above. It is Barb's work that has directly inspired many of my paintings. I enjoyed visiting with her and printed off some of my

paintings with her work in it. Many people have asked where my long necks came from. It was from one of her vases... the one in my painting "Learning to See." I love to see artists who do something so completely unique that it could have only come from them. I respect what Barb creates as just that.

I painted this masked woman yesterday. Every once in a while these paintings come from me that have many shades of blue. Sometimes I just find blues so completely soothing and beautiful, and I love the way different shades interact together. For me blue often shows up in my paintings when I am thinking about angels and craving a connection to spirit. The first time masks appeared in my art was in my sketchbook during a train ride through Europe. I had to chuckle when I realized that I had just left Venice (a city known for it's elaborate masks). I drew them so unaware of the subconscious influence my surroundings had on me. Since that time I have occasionally used masks in my work. They hold a very personal and significant meaning to me.