Ah, I remember all too well sneaking in with my two best friends to see Purple Rain. We were supposed to be across the street at a teen club.

After the movie, we were running back across the road (Mt. Zion Blvd.) in the rain (ironic) and my friend was hit by a car. She survived with minor injuries, but boy were we in hot water. We never got away with anything.

I don't believe I'll be dropping my daughter off anywhere. But if she ever does get that kind of freedom - I know all the tricks!!

Dawn, your teen story reminds me of when I was a teen, I told my parents I was spending the night at my best friends house, and she told her parents that she was spending the night with me. We stayed out all night and that night her grandmother died. Her parents called my house and when I got home the next day, well, you can imagine the rest.
I've always told my kids that they will get caught somehow if they do things they aren't supposed to be doing.
BTW, I saw your work yesterday while browsing after inquiring about lessons in Fayetteville. You have great talent. I recognized your avatar in the painting.

Thank you. I don't have a lot on display at the gallery (Art Works on the Square) because I've been doing mostly mural work and freelance design for the past ten years. But I hope to get back to the canvas once the kids start back to school. I will also be a vendor at the next Market Day in Fayetteville (August 15th) where I'll be selling some of my jewelry made from clay. Hope to see you there.

Did you get signed up for the art lessons? When I get all my ducks in a row - I'll be giving Art History lectures (I always wanted to be a professor) there and maybe teaching a drawing class. No one gives drawing lessons - they're always about painting. Odd, considering that drawing is the building block upon which other mediums grow.

P.S. I'm very flattered that you recognized my avatar - portrait of my daugter who just turned 12 today. God! Time flies!

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."
- Emily Dickinson

I just got some info on the lessons. I'm thinking about taking the acrylic/oil painting lessons. I love to draw and I try to figure out painting.
I noticed you had some photography too. When I was somewhere around 10-13 yrs old, I was going to be a photographer. I had my little 110 camera(you may be too young to remember those)and I would go around the yard and take pictures of flowers, trees, the sky, anything I thought would make a beautiful picture. Needless to say, you don't get great photography with a 110 camera. I still have some of those old pictures and they are hilarious.

I'm trying to learn how to paint with acrylics also, although I can't draw a thing freehand. I found some great lessons on YouTube recently and this one teacher, Eric Francis, has several videos posted showing how to paint with acrylics. He actually shows how to transfer a photograph on to a canvas, breaking down the colors into several parts and then paints the picture/photo beautifully, showing blending techniques, etc. Here is Part 4 of his video series:

Eric Francis

As all artists do, he made that look so simple.I'm ready to paint something now!

I love going down memory lane. We were 'dropped off' until we were about 15 or 16. (We were supposed to have better sense at that age - HA!) I remember a group of us taking the P car or the J car in LA to downtown LA to see a reputable movie. Instead we went to the Orpheum Theater (I think) and saw Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra with Gil Bernal on sax. One time Pearl Bailey was on! What great afternoons!! I must admit sometimes we went to X rated movies - which today would be acceptable on the TV soaps. Then there was the time they opened the Hollywood Freeway - and we stopped the car and did the cha-cha on the freeway! It was about 12:30 a.m. No traffic!! Impossible to do that today! My sons and their friends are now telling me stories about their teenage years. (Some of the stuff I was aware of - the parents had a pretty good networking/communication system) The 80's were not like the 50's.
There were the times we were supposed to be at one church on Sunday - but actually went to another church for Sunday School - cause the boys were cuter - left in time to get back to the church where our parents were. (I bet our parents were aware of that too!)