I’ve discovered crock-pot cooking! After just a little bit of preparation and an average of eight hours of cooking time you get a wonderful hot and nutritious meal and, as an added bonus, wonderful smells throughout the house. It is, for me, an ideal way for the busy artist to prepare good food.

The other thing I’ve discovered is that I’m spending more time in the produce department of my local grocery store. For a recent gumbo recipe I needed all kinds of things that I don’t normally buy including okra. I also needed some tomatoes and wandered over to where there sat a nice selection of wonderful red-orange vine ripened beauties. I settled on one in particular and separated it from the others by breaking off the dried vine and, when it was alone in my hand, I suddenly was taken with its nice shape and the wonderful pattern the vine made. I knew right away that I would have to paint it.