Sketching & Writing Lectures with the Dogs & Coffee

Man has always been his most vexing problem. How shall he think of himself? Every affirmation which he may make about his stature, virtue, or place in the cosmos becomes involved in contradictions when fully analyzed.

Reinhold Niebuhr, The Nature and Destiny of Man

Sunday morning has begun early with quality reflections over books, scribbling and sketching in the journal, sipping coffee and nuzzling with a pair of affectionate dogs. The Palestine weekend is in the books, and I've spent a large part of the morning catching up in the journal, recording all the memorable details.

The Friday night Art Talk was a spectacular event. We were saddened that Wayne White could not travel from Missouri to join us due to quarantine from COVID exposure. Stacy Campbell delighted our gathering with her trademark humor and passion for the creative life that she embodies daily. And I'm sure she enjoyed the getaway after enduring the first week of school two hours away. Once the formal event was over, we all took a nightly stroll across town to our favorite shop, then returned to the Gallery at Redlands for several more hours of talk and laughter. Sandi and I miss them already.

The Saturday Art Walk was spectacular. Twenty businesses hosted artists and their displays from 10-3:00. I was not able to make the tour this time because I remained inside L&L Shoes to paint and talk to visiting patrons (and there were many!) and Sandi graciously took over the Gallery at Redlands, welcoming many people to the Walk and answering questions, providing maps, bottles of water, and all the other things she does with a pleasant smile. Most of the people entering the shoe store to see my work spoke of their time visiting with her and how much they enjoyed the gallery ambience. We are pleased to announce that this summer Art Walk experiment has been a success and the Dogwood Arts Council approved plans to make it a year-round event. Contracts yesterday were drafted and distributed for Sept-Oct-Nov-December. Stay tuned for more details!

I set up and painted in the office at the rear of L& L Shoe Store, and stayed so busy that I'm embarrassed to report I forgot to photograph the finished watercolor. I worked on it from 10-3:00, stopping only for lunch, and at quitting time barely had time to slip it into an 8 x 10" white mat and present it to the store owners. Then I had to pack up all my gear and paintings and shuttle them back to the gallery. Maybe I'll photograph it next weekend when I return to Palestine and then post it on the blog.

"Vaquero" has now found a new home.
"Longmire" has also found a new home.

I am also pleaesd that two of the six watercolors I worked on a week ago have already found homes. Both of the purchases were made by dear friends of mine who have always encouraged me in my new work.

Earlier this morning, I finished roughing out my inaugural lecture for tomorrow afternoon's Ethics class at Texas Wesleyan University. I still need to finish posting my Humanities material online, so today will be quite busy with the academic details. Having been notified of these courses a few weeks ago, I still haven't stopped long enough to catch my breath and reflect over what all this means. The Niebuhr quote above encapsulates fully what I am experiencing this quiet morning as I have stopped for the first time since being invited to teach again.

Four years ago, I retired from full-time high school teaching, and walking out of that building truly turned the page, opening a much better chapter in life. I never looked back. The full-time high school schedule was replaced by a half-time university schedule at a campus where I had already served as an adjunct for seventeen years. The comfort was there at the university--I only had a six-hour course schedule, no longer cameling the Monday-through-Friday load along with the perpetual evening and weekend nausea of trying to stay abreast of high school expectations.

Then COVID arrived and suddenly my services were no longer needed at the university. That was four semesters ago. I really thought that chapter had closed. I had no regrets; I loved the new life carved out in Palestine with a gallery to manage and eventually to own. Memories of Texas Wesleyan remained positive, with gratitude of getting to work there for nineteen years. When the invitation to return was presented a few weeks ago, I said Yes without hesitation because I always felt honored to be on that campus. But now, the day before the semester begins, I pause to reflect and wonder over the matters set forth by Niebuhr above.

The fall season is just around the corner, and I was beginning to adjust to my new identity as a gallerist as well as artist and supporter of Palestine's monthly Art Walk (which continues to grow!). The Edom Art Festival is a little over a month away, and Sandi and I have been pondering a fall schedule of events for The Gallery at Redlands. A new chef begins work at The Queen Street Grille across the lobby from our gallery, and a number of art-related events are rolling up on the Palestine fall calendar. And suddenly I am returning to the university mix.

My passion for scholarship and the pursuit of ideas has never abated; I still read voraciously, recording the all the new insights gleaned from great minds. Though I haven't had a public forum for all these ideas, I have nevertheless recorded them in journals and laptop files for no other reason than to feed myself. Now suddenly I am afforded an opportunity of laying out fresh bread for students, and I am thrilled at the prospects. I suppose the reason I feel a sense of pause this morning is the realization (which has always been true) that this may be my last dance. An adjunct instructor is never guaranteed a contract. I always knew that. Yet when COVID ended my university semester routine, I wasn't prepared for that reality. I felt that I could have done a better job and would no longer have an opportunity to improve. I appreciate having another run at this, and like most teachers smile at the thought that "maybe this time I'll get it right!" Beginning tomorrow, I am prepared to teach these two courses as though they are my last, because they may very well be. I'm grateful for this chance.

Thanks for reading.

I make art in order to discover.

I journal when I feel alone.

I blog to remind myself I am not alone.

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