Nan's dog came trotting into the apartment today, proceeded to fall over, and ask for a belly scratch. I forgot her name but I feel like I have known her for a long time. Does that makes up for being bad with names? Nan is a painter that lives in town. She has work up at the High Note Cafe. They are these really nice water colors of the north west coast. I am a sucker for water color, did you know that? I am.

Anyway Nan and a bunch of painters in the community (members all the way up to Helena) are have an painting slumber party in some B town in south of here that I have also forgotten, I do know it is not Butte, Billings, or Bozeman. Does that make up for being bad with names? Ahh yes, a painting slumber party! In this case it will be landscapes, pajamas (this I am projecting in), and friends. It is so nice to think of a group going out and painting for the hell of it, well not for the hell of it because they are artists, but choosing to go together and making a production as opposed to just making a day trip by oneself. I don't know what I am talking about, but it sure sounds like fun.

Today I also went to Helena with Linda a new resident, who happened to be also living in Minneapolis/St. Paul for the last couple of years and had Kinji as a teacher too. I had even hung her work for a show at MCAD in January. She just arrived on Saturday. We have been having some very interesting conversations about the land in this part of Montana. She says that it is folded in on itself and that leads to interesting energy in this part of the state. I will say that I agree.

Linda grew up in Libby, Montana. Libby is located in the northwest corner of the state. There was a movie that came out in 2004 called "Libby, Montana". Do a search for Libby and read about its mining legacy.

http://www.highplainsfilms.org/fp_libby.html