The bird in the painting is actually a Great Blue Heron. And as plentiful as this species is where I live in North Carolina, I actually found this magnificent creature perched on a log on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Walking along the bank of the river, my intention had been to get some good views of the city’s skyline. When I noticed that the heron perched on the river below was fairly stationary, I quickly switched gears, and chose the bird as my subject matter.

A similar painting, “Heron” went at auction last year for a considerable amount at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. See it on my website in the Original Watercolors Collection. Back to the irrelevant question, “How long did that take?” - in reality, not very long. But then, it doesn’t take Tiger Woods very long to hit a golf ball either. I won't labor the point.

Did you grow up hearing about all the starving children in Africa? Well, I'm here to talk about “starving artists,” and how little most of them can afford to give their work away.

Artists are vulnerable people. We have our egos and our self-esteem all tied up in our work. When we are asked to donate a piece of our art to charity, we are flattered that someone thinks enough of our art to ask. After about seventy such charities, we begin to ask if we can really afford to be giving all this art away.

Yes, the charity auctions give us visibility. If they believe there is any kind of equity in our name, they’re likely to publicize the heck out of the fact that we are going to be contributing a piece of our art at their next fundraiser.

I have had the good fortune to be involved with some non-profits that know very well how to show their appreciation for the art that is donated to their causes. And, I’ve had the misfortune to work with some folks in charitable organizations that are just downright rude and ungrateful. I won’t go into the nightmares, but these people need to go to finishing school.

As a guest attending an auction that includes artwork, I encourage your participation, not because you'll find all kinds of bargains there, but because you plan on making a contribution to the organization and will be rewarded for doing so with a beautiful piece of artwork or other such item(s) that have been so generously donated.