dear mike:
wow... thank you for the surprise in the mail today! i can't even begin to tell you how much this means to me... it's hard to believe you remembered i loved it so much. (sometimes it's hard to believe that you still remember me.)
i looked for you during the december art walk in durham. (i really only went to those as an excuse to stop by your studio and see what miraculous things you were creating, you know.) i was so sad to see your door was closed, and even more sad to hear that you had packed up your canvases and left. the artist in the next studio told me she had an email address for you, but it was just the one i already had... the one that hasn't worked for a while now.
i've been thinking about you a lot lately, so it's kind of spooky to get this package in the mail from you today. i think about you every summer, during the ADF season. that night we saw shen wei's "near the terrace" together... well, experiencing the magic of that piece with you remains an incredibly vivid memory for me. that haunting music by arvo part, the graceful, swimming beauty of the choreography... it's something i will probably never forget. i think about inviting you to another ADF performance with each season that goes by (how long has it been since then? maybe 3 summers?) but you don't make yourself very easy to find, you know.
my heart is about to explode with joy and sadness at the same time, looking at this painting you've sent me. i love it so much. and yes, it's now clear that good things come to those who wait. your work makes me so happy. but i'm also a little melancholy now... holding your work in my hands makes me realize how much i've missed you. are you still painting? do you have a new studio? according to the return address on the package you're living down south now, in the sandhills... how did you end up there? what are you doing? are you happy??
write back soon. or send more packages.
much love,
christa