A Day of Painting

It's Sunday morning, my husband and daughter are going cross country skiing, my son is planning his fantasy role playing game strategy and I am going to PAINT ALL DAY! Hooray!

The goal is to paint for fun today. Not what will sell, or what everyone likes, but what I want to see on my wall, to take me away to a new place or make me smile.

One of the benefits of painting still life is the ability to create a tiny world full of color and light, which is crucial for someone living in the Pacific Northwest. Rain, rain and more rain, but when the sun comes out it's gorgeous! So, let it rain. Maybe today I'll paint all in oranges, reds and golds, that should warm me up!

My teaching is going very well. My friend Tara (a fellow artist and teacher) and I were discussing how much we learn as artists while we are teaching others. The act of breaking down skills and concepts and walking through the steps with others reinforces those ideas in our minds.

tiny landscapes

January is becoming a month I look forward to each year. The feeling of new beginnings is wonderful. There are no major holidays after the new year celebration so I can settle in and work away at projects.

One of my goals this year is to understand landscape painting better. I feel so much more comfortable with the figure and still life, but am determined to make head roads into the landscape territory. There are a number of reasons for this push, first and foremost is I want them on my wall at home. Also, I have had some success in 2005 selling my still life paintings and am curious how landscapes will go.

My oil/acrylic classes are going well. My students seem genuinely happy while in class and it's terrific to watch their progress. There is the added benefit of relearning basic concepts myself as I teach them to others.

I'm developing webbed feet. The running joke in my oil painting class this week was it's been raining so much it's time to build the ark. To combat the winter drearies I've resorted to painting colorful landscapes and florals. The good news is all of this rain is very good incentive for settling in and painting in the studio.

Happy New Year

2006...
Is anyone else amazed at how quickly life streams by us. The busier we are the faster the days go by. For the past fourteen years I have been a stay at home mom I managed my time somewhat haphazardly but was able to get quite a bit done. Just this September I chose to go back to work part time, part time turned into 32 hours a week outside the home and 10 hours a week minimum in the studio. Now it seems time screams by at the speed of light. Fortunately I am still home by the time my kids are home from school. But I find myself questioning my motives for working. I weigh the pros and cons and wonder if I am doing myself and my family a disservice. I am working on finding the answer.