Here is a note from Jim Sikes. What an accomplishment! Congratulations Jim! The beautiful picture he sent did not copy into the blog. If you contact Jim, I'm sure he will send you a copy of the picture.

I hope you won't think me vain, but I just have to tell a few friends.

"SPIN"; silk painters international, is having it's international convention in Santa Fe this summer. There will be people there from a dozen different countries. There will be an art show made up of paintings from these countries. They will only select about 30 paintings. To be included in this selection is one of the highest honors you can receive from the field of silk painting. It is a juried exhibit, meaning that three judges from the field of professional art painters and teachers will select and judge the paintings. I submitted two of my painting for consideration.

I never really believed that they would pick one. I saw the paintings at the last exhibit and I can tell you that I didn't belong with that group. Boy, they were good. Anyway, I got a letter Monday from SPIN in Maryland. They informed me that BOTH my paintings were selected for exhibit. I couldn't believe it. I just sat there on my 4 wheeler, down by the mail boxes, and cried with joy. I wish HELEN could have been there. So, that's it. Out of hundreds of entries, two of mine will be on exhibit at Santa Fe Community Collage Fine Arts Center July 31 through August 6. I will be there for the full time enjoying classes and other activities, including the Santa Fe Opera. If my muscle disease would just go away for that week, I would be very happy.

I am sending a bad photo of one of the paintings selected. It is not the photo I sent to the jury, That one was much better. It is 2'x3' in size. It is on 10 momme Chinese silk, with silk dyes. No paint. All of the smallest butterflies are painted on the back side of the silk, with an ink emphasis added to part of the wing on the front. I have never seen this done before. Maybe that's what caught there attention. Who knows? The other one is even bigger, 3'x4'.

Regrets for bending your ear.........Jim and the furballs