Do artists have specific responsibilities? Is it okay for artists to use their creativity in fields beyond their typical media? One contemporary trend I’ve noticed my whole adult life is the gallery world tends to support artists with a recognizable and undeviating style. Pablo Picasso would never make it in today’s artworld. I’ve heard it best explained by Robert Storr. Some artists are turtles and some are hares. The turtles plod along with unwavering investigations into their visual style that can last a lifetime. Their work is always recognizable because their deviations are subtle. An example Storr gave of a turtle is Chuck Close. Other artists ricochet from one thing to another like a hare, Picasso being the most famous of that type. I am clearly in the hare camp. I love beginning new projects and discovering different media. It seems only natural that as an artist, my creativity is brought into play outside of my studio. One recent project I’ve spent the last few months working on is a vegetarian cookbook titled, “Doing No Harm Cooking”. I’ve worked on illustrating it using India ink and watercolor because those media are among my favorites. I’m currently in the process of looking for a publisher. It’s exciting to imagine people finding their lives improved by cooking the delicious, healthy recipes I’ve created. Below are some of the illustrations for the book. Enjoy!