None of my “real-world” friends are artists, mostly because I came very late in life to the world of artists.  Not through junior high, high school, or university did I study any form of art. English was my major and I expected to be an English teacher – and thought in my youth that I’d write, myself.  But I’ve always drawn and painted – with whatever materials were given as gifts or purchased out of curiosity – without instruction or direction and just for fun.  I have many “artist friends” now – all online, thanks to social media, but we aren’t really friends. We are a network.

The real people who know me – as a friend – and with whom I spend time because we are friends and because we love each other are not “artists”.  They are all clever, creative and regular people, working at regular jobs (like me), with regular families and issues and lives, making ends meet the best they can and being the best people they can be.  I love them – they are my friends.

This painting is for my circle of friends, depicted here celebrating the Tango Club.

A Circle of Friends (or The Ladies of the Tango Club)

Sennelier soft pastels, charcoal pencil on Colourfix pastel paper, “12×9”