This is a very welcoming church filled with old fashion acceptance.  Here all are welcomed.  No judgment.  It was refreshing.

The El Pueblito United Methodist Church isn’t necessarily a pretty church from the outside.  The building is plain with a very tall turquoise cross at its entrance.  The building has had several lives….it was a gas station, bar, cafe and now a church.

This  little church by the side of the road has what they call a “shared table”.  They serve 500 – 600 hungry men, women and children, every other week.

Steve, the pastor, talked about getting back up on the horse after falling off, never giving up, always trying again and again.  This is so true for artists.  We go into our studio and sometimes fail in sharing our vision.  Our colors are dull, the design doesn’t work, our subject matter is boring….why didn’t we notice that before we decided to paint that still life?  The next day we go into our studio again.  We are determined to wrestle this painting to the ground and by golly, we are going to win.

This is the determination needed to be a successful artist.

I felt full of peace that Sunday morning.   Outside in a field  filled with the colors of autumn, sun dancing on the newly cut grass, violin music playing…………pastor on horseback sharing the love of humanity.

The photos in this blog were taken by photographer Lenny Foster http://www.lennyfoster.com

Check out his website for gorgeous photos of “healing hands”

This is my studio. This is my last studio.  It may be for a day or twenty years…..but it is mine.  It is filled with soul.  It is filled with an infusion of creativity that screams “Welcome”.   It has come to me with open arms.

Last night I painted the cold gray concrete floors with a warm transparent Terracotta stain then  a layer of  vibrant Tuscon Gold.  They merged into joy.

I have waited a lifetime for this  passage…. childhood, marriage, birth, children, divorce, sorrow, death, disappointments ( in self as well as others), caretaker, widowhood, success, sickness, transformation…..only to arrive at the gate of “myself”.  How lucky can a person be?

I drink a glass of wine to the birth of who I am….I drink a glass of wine to life….I drink a glass of wine to YOU.

This situation causes one to look into their own soul and question their beliefs and their purpose in life.  We as artists are lucky.  We know what we are passionate about.    We are privileged.  No matter our circumstances….we are privileged.  With privilege come responsibility.  It is our responsibility as artists to continue our passion, to share, teach, create, encourage other artists and want-a-be artists.  In doing this we fulfill our mission as individuals.  This is our way of giving.

“We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become”

Dr. David Hawkins