I met Dede online through Ustream where she programs her weekly shows. I wrote the following about a year ago after watching one of those shows...
September 2nd was a GOOD day! I woke up early and somehow managed to go online around 7:00 am. I couldn't have been luckier! Dede had been persuaded to go live on Ustream and she gave the BEST show ever! I think she was on for 2 hours, maybe 3, I'm not sure, but she sure did give us a ton of information! We should have paid for it...it was like attending a motivational seminar! The people, the place, the timing....it just all came together in cyberspace to make for a truly great morning for a bunch of art lovin' girls. Dede's such a fabulous artist, and she inspires so many others.
I'd been watching her shows for a while by then and everything had started to fall into place, I started to really understand what it was Dede was teaching. For the first time in my life, I began to "see" art for something other than a bunch of old paintings hanging in a museum. I don't think I'll ever be able to see what Dede sees in her paintings, but I know it isn't just a bunch of fortunate brush strokes. My fondest memories and most valuable time was spent watching Dede make magic before my eyes.