Like most artists I am searching for the "way." What I am finding is the way is always changing. That means I have to adapt and change as well. I have learned to set goals for myself along the way that are attainable instead of unreachable. We would all love to be Monet or Rembrandt but one does not get there overnight (if ever) so I try to take delight in the small steps that I hope lead to bigger and better places. To that end I have taken a liking to thematic juried shows. By preparing for each thematic entry I am forced out of the box and away from my preconcieved ideas. Stretching is good. I have had some sucess at this as I was accepted into a national show last year (Conflict/Peace) at the Columbia Gallery in Maryland and now an international show at Target Gallery in Alexandria,Va. I am at work now on a new challenge with a mixed media piece entitled "The Packaging of History."  Meanwhile I am hard at work on color theory, looser paint application and striving for better art and a varied  mix of subject matter in my finished work.