My missionary friend and her colleagues love anything with a world map on it for obvious reasons so I painted this cup for her to travel the world with and she in turn made it into beautiful post cards! I love it Amy!

Painting to music is a natural occurrence for me. I usually only paint with music in the background unless I am somewhere that I have to engage others while I paint. The choice of music seems to always be the same or close to the same. I like old country music because it reminds me of my Dad and our many thousands of miles of road trips. When I was younger I hated country music. My sister and I painstakingly road in the back of the car desperately trying to read or sleep or argue just so we could focus on anything other than the music. When walkman and headphones came along it was heaven! Now that I am older I look back at those times with a smile and laugh. Two things that I love to do when I am painting. I guess that is why I choose the music I do to paint to. I have to admit I am an old soul and I do often also listen to Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis as well. I get great happiness, comfort and joy from this music. In all of their collective talent, these musicians and entertainers can be thought of as people who devoted their lives to spreading compassion through their art. Whether they meant to or not, living or dead, their music soothes many souls. I am one of them and that is a great legacy of compassion to pass on. I can only hope that my small cups will be around decades from now giving those that they have touched a sense of compassion, a smile and maybe a laugh.