Find links here to my favorite places and places I like for specific reasons. Many wonderful art sites—mostly visual, and writing and even some theater. Some are the homepages of folks who make my life more fun, particularly the authors of my fave mystery series; I do love a good mystery.

And then there are the great stores, reference places, fascinating bits of our world...well, meander the Lynx's pages and see. And click. Don't forget to bookmark Studio 121G, though, so you can come back easily!

Art Sites—special

•  Paint-L stands for Paint List, but the content is much more. More than 100 artists throughout the world exchange ideas, critique each others work, give support and love daily via a group email list. A rare spark makes Paint-L special. Visit the group's website and the Yahoo group itself; maybe you will find new friends there.

• Able and personable Canadian artist Robert Genn writes a personal letter via e-mail to thousands (my guess) of artists every Tuesday and Friday; then he publishes portions of their answers, along with representative works, on his website. It's a delight and lots to learn as well. You can purchase his flagship book, Painter's Keys, simply by clicking here.

• The mission of the Women's Caucus for Art is to work for equity for women in the visual arts. On the national level, it does this through annual conventions where plans for the following year's work are made, where leadership confers, and where five t0 eight women are honored for their lifetimes in art. On the local level (for example, the northern California chapter to which I belong), the Caucus sponsors each year two or more exhibits of its members' work and offers networking and support.

Art sites—artists

• Elin Pendleton, amazing artist, fabulous person, and terrific teacher too, specializes now in horse paintings, but you needn't care about horses to drink in the brilliant light and color of her work.

• Besides being a wise, warm, and refreshing woman, Karen Jacobs is an extraordinary abstract painter and very successful; if you never liked abstract work, you're apt to change a little here....

• Pat Chapin is a fine artist posing as illustrator, and is she good at that too. Her sea-themed work is charming and popular. Pick up some cards or tiles when you visit her site. And watch for a book or two from Patch—she can write too.

• Gwen Meyer Pentecost chronicles the Southwest, from L.A. to New Mexico, and then some, while running the works for an L.A. pol full-time and a home as well. Wait 'til you see what she can do with weekends!

• Denise Champion combines plein air with abstraction to produce magnificent, evocative landscapes in oil and pastel. Well known in her former home state of Hawaii, Champion has a fast-growing devoted clientele on the mainland.

• Andrea Way loves landscapes, and you'll love the way she paints them. Oil or pastel, her work is rich and free, chewy and light-feeling. Enjoy beautiful northern California through Andrea's talented hands.

• Portraiture is a special talent. Leslie Ficcaglia captures likenesses and personalities too, with rich backgrounds fitting to her subjects. She works on commission and often from photos—she can do one for you, no matter where you are.

• Texas becoming a hotbed of artistry? Check out the colorful abstracts of elegant Texas artist Cheryl McClure and the work of effervescent and multitalented Robin Ann Walker, home-based in Dallas.

• Pat Fanning is color blind, at least partially. Yet he creates richly colored, natural, and realistic watercolors, and recently oils, that clearly embrace the entire spectrum of color. Pat also teaches and offers demonstrations—not only representing himself, but in the persona of Robert Henri and others.

• Back up to Canada, Nova Scotia this time, to the work and teaching of Brenda Hoddinott. She writes great books!

• My dear friend Joan Haller decided late in life that her dad hadn't been accorded the recognition he deserved. A proud daughter, Joan gathered all that she could unearth of her father's paintings and began to build a website for them, to honor him. Before you know it, former Met curator Thomas Hoving took notice and it all came together, with shows and sales. Best of all, through it, Joan and her younger half-sister reunited after years of estrangement.

Go to the Paint-L site and click on the link to more PaintLer websites; or come back here and find more next time.

Art sites—writing

• Doorknobs & Body Paint is just one online zine from Iceflow. These zines, full of short, imaginative, amazing stories, simply and beautifully illustrated by iceflow founder, artist, and writer Leila Rae, are not just for reading. Click for guidelines and join in the fun of writing your own stories.

Art sites—theater

• A friend of several decades is a true 21st century Renaissance man. A beautiful painter, a fine writer with several science fiction novels to his credit, and an exciting composer, David Houston has built a new career in the theater in recent years. Learn all about it on his website, and take in one of his performances if you're in the New York City area.

• Eric Comstock, my distinguished nephew, plays the Algonquin monthly, Birdland occasionally, and, when we're lucky, SF venues, especially the Plush Room at the York. In-between he creates revues. His Our Sinatra is still running off-Broadway, having won the revue of the year in its opening season. His three CDs are Young Man of Manhattan, All Hart (that's Lorenz, not a typo), and, just out, No One Knows. Beginning in Cabaret, he has broadened his repertoire and enriched his style to embrace jazz. Oh, yeah!

Web work/utilities

• The web marketing wizardry of Robert Woodhead cannot be matched. Don't bother to use it, however, if you're in competition with me....

Recommentations for general excellence

• Everybody needs a life coach—and when it comes to keeping your home and life manageable, FlyLady is the way to go. Besides the website, there are daily coaching e-mails. Marla Cilley has taken good sense and good nature and brought order and sef-confidence to some 200,000 homes and counting. I'm getting there....

• FlyLady has a friend who does food. Leanne Ely authored the best-selling cookbook, Saving Dinner. She also offers a weekly email service called Menu Mailer. Although the chatter is rather silly, the six-a-week menus, with main-dish recipes, and full, grocery-aisle-organized shopping lists are a godsend. She offers them for regular or low-carb diets, and for four or two people. DH Al and I love the low-carb (for him; I cheat) menus for two. Terrific timesavers, and easy on budget too.

• I never thought I would be recommmending this institution, but never is a dangerous word. Bank of America offers the very best full-service online banking out there.

• eBay works for all those goodies you couldn't fling because they actually are valuable. eBay 'em! (And don't forget to leave feedback....)