A Rose for Dorothy

8x10" oil on canvas board

I painted this rose for a special lady with the intention of giving it to her on Valentine's Day. Because of circumstances beyond my control, I was not able to give it to her in person but I heard she did receive it and appreciated it. I hope to tell her in person that it was a special thank you for raising such a wonderful son.

Thanks again to all my friends

I know you may be getting tired of me gushing about how wonderful you all are but I must gush again. I have never met or worked with more generous and wonderful people than I've met through DSFDF and my blog. I've always worked in environments where people were so proprietary with their knowledge and experiences because it is competitive. I 've learned that old mindset really dragged you down. There is something about helping someone and encouraging someone that lifts you and your spirit. I have to admit, I didn't learn this until I was promoted to sergeant in my old job and I'll blame it on having to double prove myself as a woman, [back when we were less than 7 % of the work force] and triple prove it because I am Asian. [first Asian female to be hired at that dept.]

Today I want to give special thanks to Michelle, (my first follower on this blog) Akiko, Erika, Judy Mackey, Diane Hoeptner, Paulo and all the others who have exposed me to Etsy.com.

I set up shop last week and think I won my first bid. It's the acrylic on 8x10 canvas on this post. She agreed she wanted it but has not paid me yet. LOL. It's not much money because I just wanted to get a positive review on something I sold. That may have been foolish on my part but I figured it is such a cute painting, I may be able to sell it if she changes her mind.

I was also unexpectedly contacted by another Etsian who wanted to feature me on her blog. She did a really nice job so if you want to drop by Wendy's blog, please do so and check her out.

Thank you again friends. I know the folks who have been following my journey for about a month know its been very difficult these past years. Every one of you has helped me embrace this second half of my life as confirmation that it is the right path. Like the phoenix, I feel I can start to dust the ashes of my past life off, heal my wounds and start to grow new feathers. Love and blessings to you all.

Artists are Awesome

What a wonderful experience it has been so far to have actually step out and try something like participate in DSFDF. So many kind and generous people took the time to say hello and welcome I am so touched and in awe of this community.

I guess I still have a vivid memory of visiting an artist and her husband in a small town in Gold Country in Northern California. Part of her business was to make small watercolor portraits of patrons for $50. I was still working for the police department then and was intrigued by someone who was making a living doing art and her husband making frames for all her work. I commissioned a small portrait for my then firefighter boyfriend and was expecting to be able to see her process.

She closed some shuttered doors between me and her and started her work. When I tried to peek between the slats, she became upset and shooed me away with a wave of her brush. That was my FORMER impression of artists. How wrong was I!! On the most part, artists are kind, supportive of each other and very generous with helping budding wanna-be artists with tips and advice. Amazing. So thank you again for making me feel welcome folks. Many of you are the artists I used dream.... "maybe one day....."


For today's image, I posted a quick pastel I did for my 11 year old daughter's soccer coach. She is heading off to a big tournament in Fresno this weekend and she wanted to present it to him at the last game. The girls will sign their name in the patch of green.