#123 "Be Free!", acrylic on panel, 24" x 18"

Now for something a little different! I just returned from an amazing event called Artfest. It was a 3 day workshop that is held annually at Fort Warden in Port Townsend WA. My artner (new word we coined this weekend) Joanne and I got excited about an outsider painter named Jesse Reno. We discovered he was teaching at Artfest and decided to go if we could get into his class for at least 2 days. We did, so we went. I could say a LOT about this experience, but let me just say that I knew my creative juices needed a little kick in the pants....and had a feeling Jesse Reno might be instrumental. I was not prepared for how powerful this whole experience turned out to be. I feel old parts of me have been re-awakened and new rooms have been opened. We worked hard all day long, were lost in the flow, and everything felt all new and shiny again. I'm not sure how this experience will integrate itself into my current work, but I am sure it will. A Reno quote: "It's just a piece of paper. If you can't take a risk with that what will you do with your life?" I thought I had finished this painting and I almost loved it. People were coming around taking pictures of it and telling me how much they loved it. I told Jesse I almost loved it. He said "paint it out and see what else you can find there that you will love more." and I did it! and what I found I liked better! And people were saying they couldn't believe I did it. It's only a piece of paper, but it took a lot of courage. Something else I heard over the weekend that tickles and describes me: "I didn't come to save the world, I came to decorate it!" I am challenged to discover my own personal iconography that describes my passions. More to come. The Ray for the Day is "Be Free!" SOLD