Painting for a spell

A fellow by the name of Don Gray (my neighbor, friend and - dare I say - inspiring mentor) lives in the same model suburban house that my family occupies, just down our street... Nothing much magical from the outside: you know, strip of lawn, built-in garage, sprinkler system that is always breaking down...

But go inside, and you'll see some real magic: Don is a painter and muralist who always has something new appearing in his studio. Don's latest feat of legerdemain is his "daily painting" site (check it out at www.dailyartwest.com). A painting a day? How magical can they be? Well, it depends on who is handling the brush - and there must be lots of pixie dust in the brushes Don wields.

I don't have the same enchanted brushes, but I'm exercising my own sleight-of-hand with daily drawings and, sometimes, paintings. This gull was conjured up from a photo of mine - then came a few small drawings/studies, then the oil.

But the real magic is in creating the time for these explorations. Draw - or paint - for a spell. Abracadabra! Your own magic.