Daily Painting On the Easel, "Sustenance"

"Sustenance" In Progress
8X10
Oil on Linen Panel

I love books. Mostly art books and romantic collections of prose and hand-illustrated cookbooks. At least I'm not indiscriminate. It's one of those things that I have to keep myself at bay. (my mother used the phrase when expressing restraint, "Get thee Satan behind me.") We lost our Media Play store here last year and I am still in mourning. They had wonderful books in categories I liked. It was the first place I went to for children's presents.

This book, entitled "Meditations on the Earth," was a gift to me from a guy named Mike who has come and gone in my life. He left it in my mailbox one day before Christmas with a note. He is now a published author himself. And he has disappeared. He does that. Appears and then disappears with no forwarding address. For a while he was teaching business in Kansas. Before that, teaching business in Ukraine. Before that, he was in business management in North Carolina...previously in South Carolina. No moss growing on him. Last time he turned up was a couple of years ago upon the occasion of publishing his book. I think he may have gotten interest from movie producers, so for all I know he is knee deep in Hollywood froo froo and enjoying some moments of fame, though I haven't heard. Never dull...always mysterious....hardly there. Not good marriage material, but he makes for a very interesting friend. Now I am painting a picture of the book he gave me and wondering what the next chapter brought him. Wish I knew.