Artwork (for my play), the best artist I could find

Dear Diary,

When you're at school, in art class, there's always one kid that is way better than anyone else. In short, there is only one real artist, which is naturally gifted. Others require training and practice to become artists, and they may, over time, become good, but never (or, very rarely) great. At primary school, it was Bushy, who was the guy I hired to do the artwork for my first book the Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius. At secondary school it was Clare. Her sketches, paintings and sculptures far outweighed anyone else's in the class.

I could have chosen Bushy again, or even Jay (a childhood friend of the family that I hired to do the artwork for my recently translated History of the Britons), but I chose Clare. Why? Because she is a lady, and much like Troades by Seneca or Euripides (or even Sophocles' Electra) it is a female play. The action centres around Boadicea (a lady, obviously) and Callizena (another female, a Druidess). There were so few male roles that I recently had to put in a 'token male' just to make it not seem like an all woman cast (for the Britons, that is, the Roman side consists of all men).

In truth, it doesn't actually matter what the gender of the artist is, as this has no bearing on the standard of artwork they do. However, because it is a predominantly female play, our noble protagonist is female, I thought it only right to bring in a female artist to do the book's cover. It wouldn't very well do to have a man's name listed as the artist that did the artwork for such a feminine project.

Clare just got back to me, and she's game! This is a result! I am most pleased. She will receive precisely the same amount as the other artists I have hired asked for: whatever they feel is a reasonable and fair price.

I should get working on it, but it is - more or less - finished already. If anything I should cut lines out (it now numbers over 1,200 - my self imposed limit). I am, however, taking Quintilian's advice, and laying it aside for a while now that it is finished, before returning and revising it.

In other news, I am waiting for some little things to arrive which I just ordered for my daughter (an old book and some trinket or bauble). I am hoping we can smooth things over, or at least, once I am out of this financial rut (slavery) through publication, I can spare some time to visit her.

Max.