Schedule 10B-E

"I never concern myself with how much talent my students have. I couldn't say to anyone in the beginning, 'You have no talent.' I believe that nature is lavish with talent just as it is with acorns--but not all acorns become oaks. Talent is something that develops, or appears, as you work. The fact that you gravitate toward an art school--the very fact that you have opened this book--indicates that you have at least a hankering for art. What is required is the necessary effort."

"If you really want to learn to draw, you must be willing to build the underpinning. I have had students whose imagination far exceeded what might be called their student qualities, their capacity for sustained and detailed study. They want to run before they can walk. [...] I have had other students who seemed to be more interested in 'being artists' than in drawing. [...] Such students are likely to be found, not sitting in front of the model, but sitting over a cup of coffee in a neighboring café, talking about art. The student who really learns to draw will be the one who draws."

Hello, again.

I had intended to put here three modeled drawings done in water color: one, Debbie Ong; two, my buddy Ville holding his daughter Saara; and three, a portrait of my beautiful friend Swei.

But circumstances change. My interests shifted for several months. Then I moved to Gainesville, Florida, very recently. Desiring a fresh start completely, I backed up all my desirable files and formatted my hard drive, reinstalling Windows XP and stepping fresh into Ubuntu Studio. Deciding last night to pick back up the study of drawing, realizing the necessity of keeping my hands busy after a morbid bout of self indulgence, I began again, this morning, where I left off. However, things did not go as planned. Upon loading the DVD with all my pictures on it, I came to realize that 98% of them were corrupted and, therefore, as good as gone. Ashes to ashes. While the realization was a little sad, it was also liberating. I am to make a completely new start here, memories being what they are, memories. Praise the Lord for freshness. Praise the Lord for mercy and grace.

And so I move forward.

Praise the Lord.