The late poet Philip Larkin wrote the poem titled as above. Some say it is a meditation on original sin. I rather relate it to the challenges we set ourselves as artists and sometimes meet but often do not. In six brief lines he said much to ponder.

Watching the shied core
Striking the basket, skidding across the floor,
Shows less and less of luck, and more and more

Of failure spreading back up the arm
Earlier and earlier, the unraised hand calm,
The apple unbitten in the palm.

Contessa, a study of my model Annie Jefferson, for the painting “Ring Them Bells”

The Spring Arts Festival at the First United Methodist Church of Cumming, Georgia, opened its ninth art show Saturday, April 9 with an appropriately festive reception for artists and patrons. The reception kicks off two weeks of vocal and instrumental concerts, plays and films. Director of Music and Arts John Hutchinson has developed the festival from an initial exhibition to this rich array of offerings. I appreciate my model Annie Jefferson for encouraging me to enter my two paintings, En Route (right) with Mona Reeves modeling, and Before Flight, with Kristin Costa. Annie herself posed for two other artists whose beautiful works were among the 250 on view, Connie Lynn Reilly and Gail Wegotsky.

It was a great pleasure to meet there such accomplished artists as Lynn-Margaret Pace, Mary Negron and Jay David. We all agreed that, art being the labor of love it is, to receive other artists’ recognition is gratifying indeed.