LEARNING TO DRAW INVOLVES perceptions that apply to daily life: relationships between things, edges and boundaries, positive and negative, light and dark, perspective, finding a fresh point of view. The most  essential aspect of drawing is learning to see, whether to render an image of something or to find creative solutions to life situations. Music to my ears is every time a student comes to class saying, "Wow! It seems like everywhere I look I see something I never noticed before!" That tells me new worlds are revealing themselves, and will continue to with these new eyes and skills. It is doubly exciting to see creative expression gradually push past a lifetime of self-doubt and onto the paper. I believe that everyone can draw-some of us just need a safe place to remember how much fun it is, along with a little exposure to art materials so we can learn the tools of expression. As a teacher, I find my job is to create a positive, friendly environment, provide a jump-start for the artistic process, and then step back to watch the contagious nature of creativity do its marvelous, mysterious magic. It is an honor to be part of the process. Gesture drawing at its best is both elegant and economical, saying a lot with a little, and reflecting the chemistry between model and artist. In those concentrated moments as I attempt to capture the vitality of the human form on paper, my own energy also infuses the drawing. Time and troubles drop away, and an image is distilled onto the page that will never be seen in that precise way again. The creative process is one of amazement. Often I feel I'm along for the ride, not knowing the destination but completely absorbed in the interactions of ink, water, and paper. Ink and ink wash are the most challenging and rewarding for me, because they demand commitment to the process-there is no erasing, no "undo" command. As in life, all you can do as an artist is to respond to what's there and keep moving forward.