The original drawing of “the lotus babies” has been given to a Siamese cat mom who kindly came to see my show.
She is the one who inspired me to draw some Siamese cats pieces. And she loves this drawing so much because the Siamese cat in this piece really looks like her furbaby.
I was so glad to see that she was very happy to get this artwork. 
I cannot stop laughing with this one by the way 
https://www.instagram.com/p/C25BzKzOWLi/
Hi Maki.
You are a very special and generous person. The world is a better place because you’re in it.
Terri Robichon
Thank you so much for your very kind words, Terri. This lady’s husband is a clam fisherman so she kindly gave me a lot of HUGE fresh clams which she says are very popular in her local town. I used the clams for my pasta lunch the other day and it was so delicious! There are still some left in the freezer, so I am going to use them for something else tomorrow. 
Since I’ve spent some time with mom with dementia who can now enjoy only very primitive conversations, I’ve come to feel that you can actually be happy with only two things: i.e. “cute” and “yummy”. So, the Siamese cat mom is happy to get the cute cat drawing and I am happy with the yummy clams. This is something I call the perfect world. I mean, really(mimicking Jeremy the manager the black cat ).
Had a ballpoint pen drawing workshop with two of my customers.
This was the first time for them to try a ballpoint pen drawing.
Within three hours, they have achieved this.
Now they are interested in drawing an original piece based on the photos they’ve taken of their own furbabies.
Very much look forward to seeing the original pieces. 
Hi Maki -
You’re a good teacher.
Terri Robichon
Hello Maki,
I hope you are well. I was just coming to see how the April show was going and see I have missed so much. You are so inspiring!
I do confess I did not read all of the posts, only the ones you posted, skimming. Reading is a bit difficult for me on computer but had to see how things were going for you.
Are you considering doing workshops too? I think it is a great idea.
I hope you enjoyed the clams!
Take care,
Teri
Thank you ! Actually teaching had always been pretty big part of my responsibilities while I was working as an employee in the pharmaceutical industry. For the last ten plus years of my life being employed, I was teaching Pilates too in parallel with my job at the company. I think these teaching experiences really help when teaching drawings 
Hello Teri, thank you so much for your very kind words, and I hope you’re doing well too!
The show completed yesterday. I enjoyed all the warm responses from people who came to see my show there.
And I cannot thank the venue owner enough for her kindness; she does not charge the artists having shows at her café anything. Usually it is 10~20% of the sales during the show that the venue owners charge for the rent. But I felt so bad about doing nothing, so I gave her a preserved flowers box as a gift.
No, I am not going to have workshops on a regular basis. This time I did because one of the participants said that she would definitely join one if I would have a workshop.
You too take care 
Maki
Hi Maki. Believe it or not, I have teaching in my background too. As a practicing professional commercial interior designer, I taught the senior level contract interior design class at the University of Minnesota for six years. I had my own design firm and a few of my employees were people I taught in college.
Terri Robichon
@Maki
You are such an accomplished artist!
Sonia
Hello Maki,
This box is wonderful. I am sure that she will treasure it.
How is your mother doing?
Teri
| Maki
April 28 |
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Hello Teri, thank you so much for your very kind words, and I hope you’re doing well too!
The show completed yesterday. I enjoyed all the warm responses from people who came to see my show there.
And I cannot thank the venue owner enough for her kindness; she does not charge the artists having shows at her café anything. Usually it is 10~20% of the sales during the show that the venue owners charge for the rent. But I felt so bad about doing nothing, so I gave her a preserved flowers box as a gift.
I’ve once bought a rectangle version of the same product for mom before. This time I bought this cute square version for the owner. This item is so pretty to see in person that she instantly loved it. She put it on the café counter immediately and I found it a perfect match for the place
No, I am not going to have workshops on a regular basis. This time I did because one of the participants said that she would definitely join one if I would have a workshop.
You too take care
Maki
Hello Sonia, thank you so much for your very kind words!
Hi Teri, many thanks for your kind words.
Mom has been doing well at the nursing home. They send me some reports as to how mom is doing there every three months. I received the first report last month and it said that she was eating well, participated in the group exercises when feeling well, and enjoyed chatting with the fellow residents. Sounds like she’s now settled down after having spent a few months in a new environment.
Thank you for asking!
They are all awesome, really like all the detail, very time consuming art.
Hi Roy, thank you so much for your very kind words!
