I apologize for the long pause between posts. I know it drives me crazy when I go to one of my favorite blogs frequently, and then the writer takes an unannounced vacation! I am always wondering, what is happening in their studio!?

After my server debacle, I thought maybe I would wait until I (hopefully) restored the missing posts from the backup… but that is taking way too long. I will just have to deal with that mess when it comes back (if it ever does). So here are my thoughts for now:

In one of my favorite blogs: The Colorist, by Casey Klahn, he has been talking about editing work that doesn’t make the cut. His criteria for making cuts is very interesting, I hope you will check out the full post above.

It’s so interesting what happens to a painting that has been sitting in the studio overnight. You return in the morning to find that the head is way too big for the body, when it looked just fine yesterday, or the contrast is way too stark, etc. It always amazes me to find that my perceptions can change so radically between the time I make the painting and the next day’s viewing. I think many times, collectors don’t realize that the work they see at an exhibit is generally just a fraction of the work that had to be produced to be able to cull the pearls.

Even more interesting is how emotional content changes during the painting process. Today I started a small painting that was going to be similar to a large painting I did previously called “Flower Market”. Amazingly, this girl did not want to be alone… the pencil felt compelled to add a male companion who bought her flowers! How sweet!

I’ve been focusing on trying to keep the emotional content of my current work focused around the theme of  “nurture'”.  I am interested in how we nuture others, our environment and ourselves.  So this painting would be a great example of how others nurture us. What I am struggling with a bit is in trying to get a little more abstract or mysterious with it. I don’t want the work to be a simple illustration. I’m hoping the emphasis on color will help with that.

Since my internet has been malfunctioning, I’ve taken more time to be in the studio, with mixed results. I hate to post the images right away, as they often look better or worse to me after a few days.

Here is one from last week:

Listen, Original Watercolor 15"x11"