[Andrea Evans]

Dear Albina and Tarique,

I emailed Cynthia this morning thanking her for giving us a forum and the opportunity to
communicate with others and especially for putting your message on the forum. Your message stimulated so many thoughts and feelings in me today. For one thing, we (Americans) seem to think of this as just our tragedy and our war, and it is not. It affects people all over the world. I have been listening to our evening news on TV (5:00 p.m. CST), and there is a major victory for the anti-Taliban forces. Men are shaving their beards, music is being played, women are free to work, precious freedoms for them. I pray that we can help their children to grow up free from hunger and fear, and that they can sing, dance, and draw and paint and sculpt. I pray for peace and that they, too, can have their "pursuit of happiness."

I read as many of the threads of the forum as I can. To have so many talented and experienced people take their time to answer our questions and give encouragement is a wonderful thing. All of the arts are important to us, but in this forum we share an interest in drawing and painting human beings. So far, much of the messages have to do with technical things, the physical work, the object produced, and not that much has been said about the content, character of the sitter, psychological insight, the mystery, etc. Hopefully, we will discuss those elements. We have so much to explore. I will write more to you later.