In the four years since I posted last, I've been painting. When I look back over the paintings that I posted, they each took me so long to do. Mechanical Embryo, and SeanPhone took ten years. Mostly because they are my first paintings. Paintings that you start thinking, "Just do something." I took simple, phone shapes, and explored. Since that time, I have read probably 20 books on painting, took a couple of little one-day workshops, switched to oil, which I thought I would never, ever do, and painted a lot of paintings. I am not even sure how many. I have learned so much. One of the things my husband tells me I need to learn is Bullet Points, so here are some regarding what I have learned. *You can't learn anything if you have to believe you know enough. *Rendering is not the only important aspect of painting. *Form is thinky, Color is feely. *People love California Poppies. *Talent hardly matters. Practice and experiment are what make you better. *No matter what I have painted, there is an audience for every piece. *Titanium White is a cool color, and it will muddy up your other colors. *I have not yet found a bright red that I am satisfied with. *Understanding temperature of colors is important. *What you leave out of a painting is as important as what you put in. *Value before hue. *Don't make everything crystal clear. Know when to blur. *Don't Panic. *I really and truly love to paint, and have learned to care much less about what the "right way to do things," is. *It's supposed to be fun.