This morning I attended the reception for Middlesex County's Senior Citizen Art Contest.  I was asked to serve on a 3 person panel of judges and today we gathered to celebrate the artists who created the work.  The contest was open to any resident of Middlesex County who is over age 60 and there were categories for professional and non-professional for many different media.  As I was walking back into the gallery after the awards, I was stopped by the wife of one of the artists who had some questions.  She said her husband had just started drawing and only began his submission 3 weeks before the contest.  She seemed a little disappointed that he hadn't won an award and was looking for some tips for next year's show; she wanted to know if it might be easier to win an award in a category with fewer entrants.  However, when he told me about his piece, his eyes sparkled and he said, "I love to draw!"  I told him that if he loved it, he should just keep drawing-- after all, this was his first time!  I asked him if I could take his picture and, as you can see, he beamed with pride just to have been in the show.  Isn't that really what it's all about?  You do what you love, you get enjoyment from the process, and you keep doing it.