Well said, Jim. Like so many others on this site I am very proud to have some of Jim's art in my home. I would like to identify myself with all the comments made in support and appreciation of Jim.

We enjoy the outstanding work of Jim, Rod Organ, Harry Miller and others, the sculptures of Glen English, and the work of the many photographers who have recorded the highlights of and memories of our sport over the decades.

We love to buy their work to have in our homes. They bring beauty and happy memories.

But, after you have hung your print on the wall have you ever thought of how difficult is must be to make a living that way?

Artists, generally, are notoriously poorly paid. They keep going because they love what they do and can't imagine any other life. An artist who is devoted to a specific market like motorcycle racing has a much more challenging time than an artist who paints landscapes or other subjects that have a wider appeal.

How would you like to have to pay the rent on a booth, carry all your easily damaged art many miles to a 2 or 3 day event and hope for enough sales to pay your expenses for the weekend and enough so that you can live until the next event?
That would be a perilous life full of stress and strain.

Ebay has made it possible for artists and artisans to hope to have a small, but steady income. By having auctions all year they are freed from the tyranny of the events schedule and high rentals for stalls.

Thousands of people are full time Ebay sellers. They schedule their auctions weeks into the future. As Jim said, it was just coincidence that he had a print of Steve Hislop for sale at that time.

If you use Ebay you know that if the writer of that article had done a little research he could easily look up all of Jim's previous auctions and realize that this is a regular part of his business.

Would this author's standards of purity require that all bookstores remove copies of Steve's books from their shelves?

Similarly,would the author's high standards require that no publisher would feature stories about Steve that capitalize on his fans' shock and grief? apparently not.

Unfortunately there is a trend in journalism and in the media towards recklessness,coarse language, trash talk and sensationalism in both words and photos. It may sell papers and increase ratings , but it also causes a lot of hurt.

Jim, please don't be discouraged by this. We who know you and appreciate you, are looking forward to your next painting.I see you've already been given some suggested subjects. So, please, pick up those brushes and let us know what your next project is.

All the very best,
Elizabeth