Fresh Start 2010

Happy New Year to all! I love January 1. It's a time to reflect on what worked and what didn't work so well in the previous year. It's a day to plan new things. I get out my notebook of lined paper and a pen or two and start to map out a strategy for the new year. I'm careful not to make resolutions, because they seldom work for me. A series of collages using copies of my own work combined with vintage drawings has jump-started my creativity this month. It has been so fun to take familiar shapes and arrange them in new ways. I found that just the exercise of rearranging the shapes in different configurations helped get my creativity rolling again after a couple of weeks of "artlessness".

First snowfall

They've been promising snow for days now and finally the first of it has arrived. Not a lot, just enough to make me glad I don't have to drive anywhere. There is one thing that always intrigues me about snow and that is the variety of footprints that appear from the creatures that inhabit the area, clues that there is more drama in my yard than I am aware of. Some rather large paw prints appeared today that I can only hope belong to the large dog that lives up the road.

Chilly Christmas Cheer

Brrrrrr - I really am trying to embrace this winter season. With my winter craft shows now completed, it's time to think about getting those little tokens of my love for my friends and family tied up in bows. There is so much to be thankful for. I hope to get a personal Christmas card done....before Christmas... and really like this image. We'll see. May your holiday preparations be warm and cozy, no matter what's going on outside.

Gathering momentum

It's definitely getting "crispy" around here. The leaves are turning and starting to swirl in the not-too-chilly-yet wind. The last Gravenstine apple was picked from the tree... every bite savored to the core. Since winter seems to be my most productive painting time, fall is my time to gather momentum. I love books that spur me on and I've been gathering some good ones. The latest are "I'd Rather Be In The Studio" by Alyson B. Stanfield and "Creative Time and Space - Making room for Making Art" by Rice Freeman-Zachery, available from Amazon.com. I'm almost looking forward to that big fall storm as an excuse to hunker down with my new books.

Embracing the New Season

Autumn is such a tease...but in a good way. How else could our psyches go from the beauty of spring and summer to the dismal gray of winter? I've got to figure out a way to embrace winter. Any ideas?

Shared moments

The last of the summer sun and sandals. A shared moment with my beautiful little granddaughter, wandering downtown to some of our creative artists' open studios. (Her feet are definitely cuter than mine.)

Indian Summer

Ah -- Another Indian summer in the Pacific Northwest. At least that is what it is today. With one more Saturday (for me) at the summer farmer's market, my mind turns to more creative endeavors. I'm anxious to get back to the drawing board (if I can find it under all the flotsam that has accumulated in the past 4 months) and work through the reference photos I've been gathering. My plan is to explore a particular composition from a number of different angles/mediums, beginning with a wild blind contour drawing and maybe ending up with something more realistic....maybe not. I'm really hoping to discover something new...something exciting to carry me emotionally through a soggy fall and winter. I can go a long time on a good artsy tangent.