I have used my bold lines in several colors, especially black. Here I wanted to combine black with white.  There's something to be said about black and white pictures. It makes something clear without room for ambiguity. Here my shoes and hair were painted in black in stark contrast to my white sailor uniform. This work of art was inspired by a photograph that was taken of me as I was drawing in my sketchbook (shown early in the exhibit). I wanted it to have the purity of my early years and the innocence of youth.  Sailors usually have their name on the lapel, and that is why I took the opportunity to use the lapel as the location for my signature.

 

I know I will never be the greatest artist or draftsman. That's not my purpose! My purpose is to create art and to use my life to inspire others to feel the love that lives only in our hearts and to fully enjoy and celebrate life. Sometimes when someone hurts my feelings, I counter the attack of negativity by immediately withdrawing to protect and embrace  my own inner child. As you can see in the painting, I spent the day shown having fun sketching in my art book in my sailor uniform because this sense of "play" grounded me and connected me to my spirit.