Denis Faye

My original intent for my Steve Edwards 50th Birthday Challenge was to surf five days in a row. This may not sound like much, but as you know, I suffered a spinal injury recently and have been beached for most of 2010. Frustratingly, my back decided it didn't like the idea of this kind of challenge. Then, when it finally agreed to cooperate, the ocean decided it would have none of it. So I moved to plan B. An art challenge. I like to paint. I'm bad at it but I like it. I don't do it very often because, honestly, I'm not good at doing things, even fun things, if they don't progress my life in some palpable way. I will never be a great painter. I will never sell my paintings. My fitness level does not increase when I paint. Sidelining pleasurable pursuits for these types of reason is a terrible way to live life, I admit. I need to learn to do things purely for the pleasure of doing them. So, for you Steve, I made a painting a day for five days. Here were my rules. As you again know, I'm always happier with rules.

1. The first thing I see that inspires me, I paint.
2. Don't put a lot of effort into the paintings. Just enjoy the feeling of the brush on the paper.
3. Do watercolor because I'm slightly better with acrylics, so I'll be less preoccupied with making them good.

I've mailed Lisa the five paintings. Enjoy them. And thanks for being there for me all these years. You're a good friend. Denis P.S. You are really old now.