I realized I'm yearning to paint again...

I used to have a standing date to paint for hours every Sunday with a friend, we were avid followers of Illustration Friday. But that ended five years ago and since then I only paint when I need a cd cover. After doing four cds in two years I was pretty burnt out, so no new cds, so no new paintings.

Tonight my friend Paul was a good sport and went with me to an odd meetup in Chapel Hill. At Zog's Bar and Pool Hall - a charming and atmospheric dive up a rickety flight of stairs in the heart of town - Mandey, the owner, sponsors the weekly "Masterpiece Monday Drawing Event" meetup. This week Paul and I were the only masterpiece makers to show up. She arranged the still life you see here (photo by Paul Deblinger) and put out some art materials and we just chatted and had a drink and an artistic evening. We could also have played pool but I don't know how.

I see that my paints are in awful shape - the lids are gunked up and a lot of them are dried out. I am so stingy with paint that the tubes and tubs last a long time - too long. It pains me to throw them out but it has to be done.