At 2 today I will give a little talk about the artist Hugh Pearce Botts to anyone who'll listen, anyone who comes to the Memorial Art Gallery for the What's Up talk. I won't start it by saying, hey, what's up? But I will spill the story of the artist and inventor I am still actively researching. I recently wrote a blog entry for the MAG blog about Botts and that's here.

Usually when I talk in semi-formal situations I get nervous and prepare, prepare and then over-prepare. I make outlines and note cards and super-duper powerpoints. Sometimes i talk too fast. I decided to try to slow down. Instead of over writing and planning, I just looked. Thought. Looked again. Make a couple of sketches in my sketchbook and talked through the images to myself and my husband.

If nobody comes I'll still have fun-- but I really hope people come.

And then, I'll get in my car and drive to Batavia. One of my favorite people in the whole world lives in Buffalo, I live in Rochester and Batavia sits in the middle. They have diners there and turf farms. We'll eat in a diner.

So today, then, I'll go from a discussion of the working artist in 1939 to a discussion between two artists who work in 2009. We both juggle our day jobs and our lives but when we meet in diners it's usually rice pudding, idea sharing, and drawing.

Too bad Hugh and Myrtle can't join us.

Tomorrow, I begin to begin to round up the almost 100 paper dolls I'll bring to the Second Storie handcrafted show Thanksgiving weekend and the family I'll make special for Mark's cool show in North Carolina...

All gets done and I just have to remember not to talk too fast...
Rachael