Odds and Ends

Strawberry season is over in Florida. The cold frost that hit at the peak of flowering turned out to be a good thing. A bumper crop was a result. Strawberries were as low as $1.50 for a large basket. We have had our fill of strawberries!

This past weekend, we dismantled our downtown art display. A three-month long event, that received plenty of exposure, but few sales. The general public doesn't seem to be in a buying mood these days. People love to look. They like to admire and dream. But with high unemployment and diminishing budgets, art is the first thing to go.

Still, I keep painting and hoping for a turn-around. Commission work is steady and this gives me the glimmer of hope I need to continue. It's in my blood. How do you stop doing what you love to do?

It's the same with writing. There are days when I have absolutely nothing to say. And then, I hear something that interests me or makes me angry, and I'm frothing at the brain; my fingers galloping across the keys to keep up with my thoughts.

Tomorrow I'll set up another art display with hope in my heart that it will lead to a sale or another commission. I may get some leads: someone tells someone else they're interested in a mural or a painting, and word gets back to me. Sometimes its talk and sometimes it leads to a project or sale.

I don't like to push. With something as personal and subjective as a painting, I prefer to let an idea or a prospect simmer for awhile. When the moment is right for both of us, I'll make it a joint decision, mutually beneficial to both the client and me.

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If you haven't entered my "With These Hands" contest, the deadline is May 1st. Simply e-mail your entry as an attachment. I'm looking for photos of a child or children using their hands to learn, to play, to discover, etc. If your photo is chosen, a free print of the original painting, matted and ready for framing is yours. For further details go to the blog below titled: "Enter My Open Contest."