Patty, that's fantastic news about the gallery, it can only lead to bigger and better things, and must have given your confidence quite a boost. Well deserved too.

re: goals, I have long term goals but they're very vague, too vague to be much use to work towards. My way of getting to them is to forget them and set a lot of short term goals. All my work is about practicing right now, so I do series of small drawings and paintings, most of the series don't have a set time frame but they do have a set number, usually twenty for some reason:

twenty self portraits, twenty hand drawings, twenty eye drawings, twenty mouth drawings, ten (alright sometimes it's ten) still lifes of single objects, etc etc.

The nice thing about it is that as I get further through each series it gives me a push to get a bit further through, working towards the magic number. It also means I'm never stuck for what to draw or paint next!

It perhaps wouldn't work for everyone but it certainly works for me.

Paul,
As you know, I am fond of you goals. And I have a few cafe sketches to show you!! Will send to you privately when I get pics taken of them. What fun it is and a great way to practive drawing. but you have to be fast. One of my drawings the old man got up and left before I could put a head on him! (it ws the jacket and newspaper and legs that intrigued me first!)

I have tried the so many self portraits goal and ended up disguisted with my face and only wanting to hide in a closet and not go out for a few days until my self esteem came back up - just kidding :o

Personally, I am determined to at least set some goals for this summer, along with deciding how starved I want to be as an aspiring artist!! Might try the rolled wheat Molly described in her post.
Have a great weekend, everyone.

Woohoo! I can't wait to see them!

hehe, yes I have a lot of those in my sketch pad!. Sometimes I only get a couple of lines done before they leave. How inconsiderate people are ;)

I stopped doing the self portrait thing too because it got too psychologically involving. Self portraits are strange. And I got sick of looking my own coggly face.

But yes, cafe sketching is great fun. I'm just off for another trip in half an hour, I might even post some if I have a good day...

Try sketching in cafes with a singer. They're sitting there, playing their guitar in the same spot for an extended period.