Before Jan and I went to Rome a couple of months ago, she stayed with me for a few days and (of course) she brought some hostess gifts. Although a little late, I still need to say thank you to her. She is always so generous, and good company, too. One of the gifts is a book called The Daily Book of Art. Although I may be a little late in offering thanks, I have actually kept up on that book each day since a few days after returning from Rome. It is a good exercise as the book contains a great variety--descriptions of museums, art history, art concepts, and much more. Every few days there is an guided exercise to "make art." One of these, doing a watercolor of a butterfly, inspired the painting for my thank you card.
Jan also brought some fragrant soap and a game called "Quiddler." The Smith family loves the Quiddler game so much that it ended up at their house. That's fine. I can't play it by myself anyway.
Since then, Jan has sent me another book---an interesting "take" on the art world. It is An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin. Yes, that Steve Martin. It is a fascinating look at the art scene in the 90s and early 2000s in New York. There are reproductions of some of the paintings referred to, which is a nice touch. I had no idea Steve Martin knows as much as he does about the art world. Good book. Thank you, Jan, for these thoughful gifts and, more importantly, for your special friendship.
ano
