The word has been spread around this week about a dear friends wife who is not doing well at all. The messages have been sent out to 'Henry's kids' - those of us that Enrico 'Henry' Pinardi took under his wings in an institution of art learning that we might not have otherwise thrived in. Henry saw our potential when others might not have--and he helped. He helped us thrive and most importantly he helped us become ourselves in the world of creating things. That is an incredible gift to give and one he gave over and over again to dozens, perhaps hundreds of his students. My wife and I considered ourselves the broken toys on the island of misfit toys and Henry was our lion king looking after us and giving us purpose. I owe my life in art to Rico--there is no question about it. So today I wanted to step outside the norm in our daily posts to show you all a very cool thing--one of Henry's paintings. Henry's wife Brenda is very ill and the word was sent out that Hospice has been called. My thoughts are with Rico and Brenda today and I hope this part of their lives somehow lets them know even more how wonderful life is and how they have touched the lives of many others. Below is a picture I took of Rico probably close to 20 years ago when he was still teaching at Rhode Island College.