Monday evening  in Dallas was often a highpoint in my week; creating and kibitzing with talented women was better than therapy!  When we lived in Dallas, I rarely missed a Monday evening at Pigment School of the Arts. Tori Pendergrass opened the door of her school at night to older students, and my sister-in-law introduced me to this wonderful adventure, that now continues at a different location.  (She also superintends KIDART DALLAS)

From 7:00 PM to 9:00PM we made art, laughed a lot, and learned. I did anyway. And I got encouragement from a younger student who liked my work . . .

Can you imagine what this simple note meant?(!)

Don’t underestimate the joy a few written lines give!

Of course I learned more than painting . . .

I even tried my hand at pottery circa 2014

Tonight – a Monday night, I painted; as I painted I listened to the finale of Marilyn Robinson’s Gilead, and then began listening to a collection of short stories by John Updike. It was a way more subdued evening than those Monday nights in Dallas.

Birdie and inspiration

I didn’t plan it, but as I finished up, I realized what tonight was. Then, I remembered a quote from John Updike: What art offers is space — a certain breathing room for the spirit.

Yep . . .  Monday evening can still be a high point.

The next best thing to the enjoyment of a good time, is the recollection of it. ~James Lendall Basford (1845–1915), Sparks from the Philosopher’s Stone, 1882