"Playful Wisdom" was done after Natalie came into the office wearing that wide brim red straw hat. I especially liked the specks of light that danced down her cheek and nose. She wanted so to laugh and smile as I photographed her, but it was the moment she paused that gave me the greatest insight into her spirit. The spirit of wisdom, of quiet, of watching her children, younger people, knowing all the time what they face, and giving them all of her heart, and all of her strength as a woman. She is playful and she is wisely watching, filled with the deep joy only years can bring.

This painting has been one of 58 paintings accepted into the Mississippi Grand National Watercolor Exhibition. There were 225 paintings submitted for this show at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. That is truly an honor. It will hang there from October 7, 2006 through January 7, 2007.