"Topiary Treasures" - At night these bushes come alive and run around the park getting their exercise, feeding on butterflies and trying to mate with each other. I know this because I like to come here after dark and watch them. I climb out of the window from my mental hospital and run a couple of miles to get to this wonderful park to play with these special animal/bushes. If you'd like to join me it's on the Yellow Brick Road two stops past the candy shop. I'm there every night. Why not come and play with me?

She trudged up the hill. The windows were so filthy she couldn't see anything inside. She walked slowly around and around the house; walked to the front door, tried the handle, but just couldn't bring herself to push and open. With a sigh she stepped back and whispered, "let it be", and turned away. Next year she would return, and again come to this area, "just to see if it was still there".

"Flying Carpets" - I've traveled all over the Middle East and North Africa, but never did I come across a carnival. When dreaming up another painting, I thought, "How fun! Put together some of the vivid memories from my travels to these far away land and situate them in a 'fun fair' atmosphere!" That's how "Flying Carpets" developed. Look closely and you'll see camels instead of horses on the Merry-Go-Round, and other little ethnic inserts.

The art and the people are great, and I sincerely recommend attending whatever outdoor art festivals/shows are in your bailiwick. I have some solo shows coming up in the near future, and I'd love to meet you at one of them if at all possible. These solo shows are listed below.

These people, like me, don't have the "wherewithal" to show their art in galleries, museums, art shows, etc. They are forced to take their paints and brushes and spray cans to the streets of the world. I had the amazing luck to be "discovered" by the art aficionados of New York City, and quickly became their "darling". I couldn't handle the situation, and fell victim to my own depression. I ended it all, and now my paintings sell for millions. Had I had enough foresight I could have funded my own art movement which would have enabled young visionaries a way to learn, develop and expose their ideas to an appreciative audience. Now, I visit these artisans in their dreams and thoughts, instilling the urge to create and exhibit their talents on the only canvases they have available to them.

"L.A. Freeway" - I had just driven in from Chicago on the #66 and got hit immediately with a throng of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and etc. all traveling as if mesmerized and driven by an invisible devil. They all seemed to know where they were going. I didn't. I was trying to find the hotel in Marina Del Rey where I had reserved a room. This was 26 years ago, and I'm still locked in traffic driving from one freeway to the next looking for the hotel in Marina Del Rey. I've gone from the 405 to the 210 to the 823 to the 0003 to the 120 to the 67 to the 5 to the 345 to the 760 to the 12 and covered every street in between. I can't seem to get off the freeways. I'm tired. HELP!

All summer she returned to see if this strange effect was still happening, and it did, every day. She decided not to tell anyone or bring anyone to this magical place for fear of being made fun of. She kept it to herself, and when the summer was over and she had to return to school in the city; she knew she would keep this secret forever in her heart.

"There they are all right", he muttered to himself. He picked one up from the ground and cut it open. It was a strange looking fruit, like a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, and maybe another something, he thought. Then he bit into it, and suddenly the world changed into bazaar colors and sounds and rhythms. He fell onto the grass, delirious with strange and wonderful dreams. He was finally awakened with a gruff nudge. He opened his eyes to see a strange man standing above him. "You all right?" he said. "Yes, yes, I'm O.K." and he struggled to his feet, groggy and stiff but otherwise in good shape. "I guess I ate something that didn't agree with me", he said, brushing his clothes off. "Thank you, for helping me". John took one last look at the trees before grabbing his backpack and walking away. His grandfather had played one last joke on him. "I guess I deserved it", he thought resolving not to tell anyone in the family what had happened to him.

Marilyn closed her swollen eyelids and thought of the beautiful island once again. It made her feel better. She could smell the sweet perfume of the flowers. The natives were singing a soft deep rhythmic tune in the distance. The sun felt warm and the breezes soft around her body. She hoped the plastic surgery would make her as beautiful as "Paradise Lost".

"Farmer's Market" - There it was, just as expected and advertised; the monthly farmer's market where all the growers in the area brought their "harvest best" in hopes of a sell out. This is just a small portion of the market. It goes on for blocks and blocks with more unusual produce than you'll find in your supermarket. The fruit and vegetables are freshly picked and harvested and grown without pesticides. They are delicious and so healthy for you! Also the prices are wonderfully cheap. What could be better? Every month on the beach between Heaven and Hell you'll find them. Trust me; it's worth looking for and driving to.

"Oh, I think I see one that looks just like Grandma Pearl." And so the day went.

She sat down on a patch of grass and with her binoculars scoured the earth that lay before her. She could make out the vegetation that formed the various colorations. It was so interesting to her; she sat there for hours ruminating on life, love and all the universal questions of man. The hours drifted before her until she realized she should move on with her hike and her life. She would come back tomorrow. There was always "tomorrow".

The will would be read and she hoped her father hadn't cut her out. She wanted something for being born, something for all the hardships she endured, something for the life that was so tormented. Possibly some of his millions would gloss over the past and she could forgive him. The will would be read after the funeral. Until then she had to put up with everything and everyone. She said a silent prayer as she traveled "Long Road Home".

"Repulse Bay" - I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong last year and took many photographs with the idea of preserving my visions in oil on canvas, and "Repulse Bay" was one of my many lovely memories. I hope you like seeing it through my eyes.

"Cherry Blossom TIme" - Japan was a fabulous trip. Full of history, mystery and sushi. I loved visiting the temples, the mountain hide-a-ways, wandering through the myriad of shops in Tokyo, and, of course, this scene of Mt. Fuji was one of my major delights. I could never capture it with the wonder of first experience, but I hope you can imagine the beauty of this part of the world. The only thing I would not recommend is the Japanese breakfasts. They eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rice, Fish and Soup. I need my Cheerios in the morning!

"Ballooning" - I had a disturbing dream where I was on a mountain top with my family and we were trying to grab the strings of the balloons which were floating above our heads. We wanted to get off the mountain top and we knew if we could grab onto the balloon strings they would take us to safety. They were all around us, but we couldn't quite grab their strings. Try as we might, we just couldn't connect. I don't know if we ever got off the mountain top, 'cause the alarm rang and I woke up.

In the light of the full moon it is said that their ghosts are seen on opposite cliffs of the waterfall, arms outstretched in yearning.

I didn't have to look at a photograph to paint this picture. The memories are so riveted in my sub-conscious that I just began painting and improvising and after much trial and error...out came "The Falls"! Amazing what you can squeeze out of your memories/imagination when you open the gate and let them out and then play with them.

"Spring Thaw" - Painting is a pilgrimage - a journey into the mystery of creation and, through that sacred path, ultimately a journey into the deepest reaches of my soul. If in my painting I am successful in reaching my goal, then I see it as a bridge into you. Do you feel cold looking at "Spring Thaw"?

Some of the photographs were quite pretty, and she would print them out as note cards on her computer. They became gifts and trade-offs with her friends. It was no panacea, but it kept her busy. Kept her mind off the "accident" that took the life of her family along with her legs. Clicking away, she sighed. She felt exhausted from the few hours of touring around and taking photographs. She needed her medicine and a nap, and began her struggle home.