Friends and joy

For the past two days I have had friends come to my home. They both were artsy and they both had lunch. One brought her darling hubby and one came alone. I shared my home, studio and food with both. With one I was extremely nervous because she is one of the artists I look up to as a leader and innovator. The other is an amazing woman and friend who wanted to come to my studio, to paint and get some help with a piece she had started.
One was passing through, on her way home from a family trip. The other lives in my city, goes to my church and led my son on a life changing trip to Haiti.
While I was the one rushing around, getting the house in order and preparing food and they were the ones who benefited from help with their art, and a nice lunch, I know that I was actually the most blessed.
Sharing, giving and serving, (especially with people you care about) really does bring the blessing back to you. That is why I firmly believe that "the seed you sow determines the fruit you bear".
Sow good seed.

The television in my studio.

My studio is a lovely space with high ceilings and dormer windows that bring in lots of light. I am very blessed to have it.  It is a space that any artist would love.
There is one issue with it, the large flat screen television that takes up an entire wall.
When my husband built my studio, I did not realize what I was doing when I offered to have the TV in there.  I kept thinking about how clean my living room would be without the constant mess of the TV watchers. For some reason I just didn't put much thought into the fact that the studio was supposed to be my workspace. A place where creativity reigns and there are no distractions. Actually I don't know what I was thinking.
Today, as I was endeavoring to make art, I experienced a motivational speaker, golf, tennis, and finally a movie about clones. This is not mentioning the multiple commercials, and channel surfing.
The worst are the news channels, various political talk shows, sports talk shows and even a few reality shows.  It makes for a very uninspiring atmosphere for creating fine art... Or really any type of art.
So, when you see the art I have made over the past several days, please be understanding of the fact that I am toiling away in extreme situations.
I hope you like my painting of a tennis player, holding a golf club while crying about the economic crisis.