There's always merit to having a debate.
Don't be a Pollyanna!
I don't go into the studio with the idea of 'saying' something. What I do is face the blank canvas and put a few arbitrary marks on it that start me on some sort of dialogue.
Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.
All paintings start out of a mood, out of a relationship with things or people, out of a complete visual impression
Mistakes can't be erased, but they move you from your present position.
In a successful painting everything is integral - all the parts belong to the whole. If you remove an aspect or element you are removing its wholeness.
If you expect perfection from people your whole life is a series of disappointments, grumblings, and complaints.
I think a pastor used to be viewed as the one-stop ministry shop. The pastor served on every committee, volunteered at every event, and made all the hospital visits. I think that is changing and I think that is healthy. Both for the pastor and the congregation.
You hear all these great stories about kids starting their own businesses and getting involved in their communities and politics and foundations - all kinds of things. And it's so much easier for kids to get motivated and do that. [on her belief that teens are motivated to effect change. ]
Of course the biggest mafia in Russia has always been the government; in Soviet times, the Communist Party, and now a circle of former KGB and FSB.