Darla,
Oh no, didn't think you were putting them down at all. Just wanted to clarify. I wanted to be sure you didn't take it personally that "they didn't seem to care much about my art".
I know some societies (perhaps more in other countries?), each member's work has to meet a certain level of quality. I believe the Royal Society of Portrait Artists is like that.
Sleep? I sleep odd hours and my life is pretty much here and I live alone so there's no one to mind my obsessive behavior.
