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I have made the statement that I am never happier than when I am painting. I do love painting, but that is a bold statement and on many levels it is a lie. Let me explain. First of all, painting is often very frustrating, even depressing. I dream about painting, I daydream about painting. I can envision myself painting; I know what brushes I would use, I know what colors I would use, I know how I will apply the paint. Then comes reality, and reality is different. In reality the colors don't look right, the brushes don't behave or my hand just won't work the way I want. That plays on my mind and I start second guessing every move. Simply put, painting is hard. A few paintings flow easily - that process is easy to love. Most are a hard fought battle, that often includes a complete or partial scrap down and paint over. With watercolors it often involves a throw away and start over. Eventually I arrive at a place that I am happy with what I see and call the painting done. So to say I am never happier than when I am painting would make me one miserable human being. It would also imply that the rest of my life is not very happy. The opposite is true. I love my life, I love my husband , my children, my family, my house, my farm, my friends, my job, my home town; I even love my bed, there is very little in life that I do not love. There is very little that doesn't make me happy. I am surely happiest when I am spending time with family. So why the statement, "I am never happier than when I am painting." It's more than just trying to look and sound like a dedicated artist. It has to do with passion. I am passionate about having painting be a part of my life. When I am painting; does not only apply to the physical act of painting, the moment that I am in from of the easel with a brush in my hand; it also implies when painting is part of what I am doing with my life. When I take the time and make the time for painting, I am happy. I am the happiest version of myself when painting is a significant part of my daily activities. I am a happier person, a happier wife, mother, daughter and teacher. Being an artist is at my core, it is how I see and respond to the world; so when I take the time to feed that part of being I am the most fulfilled. Even with all the frustrations involved with painting, I feel like I am doing what is important to who I am. I am happiest when I am painting because painting is something I must do. To quote my favorite poet Mary Oliver, “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” Regretful I am not.