I have asked myself again and again, "what is the artist's role  in this world?" Is it Decoration? Career-building? Commodity? I believe it has a more powerful, expressive purpose than those options. I have reached for that answer. I prefer it to the usual alternatives. I begin by Drawing from Life.  There is a quality of  Witness that brings more engagement and attention.  It is a core-value. Drawing from life is the source of seeing,  understanding and expressing the world around me with  a meaningful  human response.