A year late, but grateful!
 

A notice about a post from Chris Saper sent me back to the SOG website. Happy to say my auto save did remember me!

I wanted to drop a note I should have done a year ago.

I went to the Principle Gallery in Alexandria last year to see the Women Painting Women show and spilled a drink on Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco! It was because I was swept up in her wonderful hug (being European she was going for the second cheek and I was doing the bear version...) and, although not selected, I found SO MANY actual friends in the show, that I had met here!

There is a weird anonymity that one feels when typing in their skivvies from hot horrible Phoenix, spilling out ideas and taking them in. One forgets that these keystrokes are attached to humans. When an opportunity to meet face to face arises, it is seriously amazing.

I knew Cindy Procious and Linda Brandon in actual real life, but meeting so many living avatars was a sensory overload.

I see the forum has gone rather silent, but I am just tossing out a message in a bottle to 1.) thank Cynthia for having the foresight to put us all together in one place and 2.) see if, now that so many of you have international personae, if you might pop in and say "Hi".

Thank you all!

Hi Debra

I have been in hibernation for 7 years getting a Bachelor's Degree in Business and have recently came back to check what I have missed and it is desolate. What happened?

There is still a wealth of information here to reconnect to, but I miss the old crowd.
N

Ngaire, it just takes people starting to post again and I think slowly it might reactivate. However, with the economy, I think people have less time to spend here. Also, the advent of social media has a lot of people spending time doing that, though they are not learning venues.

Merry Christmas to all
 

I hope everyone stays safe over the holiday break and has a great Christmas and New Year.

My New Year Goal is to come back here and learn to be a better artist.

Ngaire

Time flies
 

Heavens, it's been nearly 20 years since I've posted anything here. I couldn't even begin to recount the events in those years. (Divorce and remarriage, for starters.) But I am still doing artwork -- some painting, but I returned to an older interest, in woodblock carving and printing, and I have a nice printing press and I try to ply the trade on Etsy, without a lot of luck.

After so much time, I suppose many of the active folks of yore are inactive or gone. I'm not sure the current state of the nation or economy supports any longer the arts in general, or portraiture specifically, but for those of you who are burning the light, I hope you're doing well.

Cheers

My light still flickers ...

Yet, I can see it from here. Best wishes, comrade

S

Wow, has it been that long, Steven?

It seems the social media craze has taken over. I think as social media became ever more popular, the Forum became less and less visited. That's unfortunate because none of the social media platforms can match the Forum in terms of learning.

Good to hear from you and about your new ventures.

I do think if someone were to start posting some portraits that people might start posting some. But, I doubt it will ever be what it once was.

Are you on Facebook? I'm there personally and as a business.

2020 after 20
 

You are so vivid in my memory.
One of my clients passed away at the age 50.

BTW, please criticize my videos on word secrets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_5rVApCPA4&t=138s
And please subscribe as my old friends.

WOW.
I saw this in my notifications and sooo much has changed since.
Good to see some of you still with us!
Be well. Be happy!
dj*