Who do you say that you are?

About a month ago, one of my Kelly friends discovered I had "dropped my basket," fired myself from most of my responsibilities at our mortgage company, and had rededicated myself to all things creative. I have not a few Kelly friends, so when this particular Kelly, a charitable fundraising organizer extraordinaire, learned I had embarked on my painted groove, she immediately asked me to be a participant in her organization's Art Walk. "We're featuring eight artists. We have seven artists already and you would be our eighth artist," she said.

OK, if there's one thing you should know about me, I do not and have not ever called myself an artist. Her invitation filled me with panic all the way down to my toes. I learned to call myself a writer, an editor, a gardener, a Texas Certified Nursery Professional even, a Mom, a wife, all that. But I never called myself an artist, even during all the years I made a living faux painting from Pleasanton to Kerrville and all the Stone Oak McMansions in between.

What's funny is at the very time Kelly the fundraiser asked me to participate, I was reading a book by Beth Moore called "Believing God." It's a pretty heavy book, and not an easy, beach read, that's for sure. One of the key themes in the book is to believe "I am who God says I am." Not what anyone else says you are. Not what that negative voice in your head formed by all the baggage you've accumulated says you are. Not what your evil ex-boyfriend said you were. Who that really positive and uplifting Guy Upstairs says you are.

I knew instantly that I would have to force myself to go be an Artist for Kelly's Art Walk. I couldn't take huge pieces of furniture for my 8-foot display table so I revved up my portfolio with pictures of past jobs and took some smaller things like a table and a chair and some samples I had created on wood moulding.

Here's a picture of a little table I named "Go Bucks." Anyone from Alpine will recognize the hints of purple and gold. As I painted it, my mind kept recalling "Go Bucks! Beat Marfa!!. I know, I'm a little touched in the head. This table, with its faux ostrich top, is a perfect home for your cup of coffee or tea or wine glass when you're curled up in a chair. And it's for sale, incidentally.

And here's a picture of "Mary's Chair," so named because it is my daughter Mary's chair. She was real happy when I didn't sell it.

I met some really neat people at the Art Walk. None of the other, real artists laughed at me, at least that I saw. One of Seguin's famous artists, Kitty Keller, was quite complimentary and gracious to little old me. A fabulous artist who creates beautiful mixed media works with vintage papers, Laura Dodson, was particularly wonderful and I've become a big fan of her work. So I'd say a good time was had by all.