Living next to a professional artist has been a pleasure since we built our house here in Austin ten years ago. Gladys is not only extremely talented and her artwork is interesting and the process is unlike anything I would have imagined--she creates miniature settings in real life in her living room art studio, then begins adding layer upon layer of acrylic paint until she is satisfied--she is also the best neighbor. Last month, I went to a downtown Austin art gallery to see her latest creations and snapped a few shots, although these amateur photos don't come close to showing how wonderful the art actually is. Here's Gladys with her oldest daughter, Celeste, who just graduated from the University of Texas. Jack, her husband, and Marielle, her youngest daughter, also attended the opening of her work on display. She also paints gorgeous family portraits, and I've always wanted to commission her for one of these, but haven't done so yet. Some day... Congratulations, Gl...