I've lost a dear friend and mentor.
For 40 years, Dena was a highly respected and accomplished art teacher in the Passaic, NJ school system, specifically at #11 School. Her life was an inspiration to me, she lived her life exactly how she pleased. She'd written a book on elementary art eduction, and was working on a second one at the time of her death. Knowing her, she would be pissed that she never got a chance to finish it.
We spoke often, trading opinions on everything from art, to George Bush, to the stock market. But mostly just about our observations on life. Losing someone like Dena is like losing your favorite color out of a box of crayons- you can make do after the loss, but things just don't seem quite as brilliant.
