Happy New Year

Sincere intentions,

resolute declarations,
welcome the new year.

'tis the season - sketch XLIV

'tis the season - sketch XLIII

'tis the season - sketch XLII

working overtime

Sketches XXXIX and XL

Days and weeks can seem to pass in the blink of an eye, or so it seems in my little world. But I've done and seen some interesting things in the past couple of weeks. One of the most noteworthy was seeing Annie Bisset's exhibit, We Are Pilgrims, a suite of beautiful mokuhanga prints, at The Cullom Gallery in Seattle. I've also made a few trips to Tacoma to participate in the month-long, city wide art 'festival' where I attended an artist's talk by Janet Marcavage, a poetry reading and an interesting workshop entitled 'Time Management for Artists." All good things to be sure. And I have done a bit of sketching along the way. Here are two entries to bring me, sort of, up to date. My sleep has been out of whack lately. Can you tell?

Sleepers I

Sleepers II

Sketch XXXVIII

Housekeeping

I'm a slacker and have allowed myself to become overwhelmed by the other, less creative parts of my life. Day job, house stuff, oh, and i got another kitten. Henry asked me for a little sister or brother and how could i say no? Jolene joined the family but not without the sibling rivalry that inevitably results. Poor Henry has become very familiar with the squirt bottle and i have felt a kitten patrol officer. Honestly, what was i thinking? But seriously, could you say no to this?

Jolene

No time in the studio makes me cranky and then rusty and then fearful. The only way to blast through the roadblock is to, in the words of author, Anne Lamott, 'allow myself to make shit' and then sit down with a brush, a bottle of ink and a pad of newsprint and have at it. I did that yesterday and blasted out about 25 brush sketches. It was scary and difficult but worth it. Not for the work produced, but for what came after when I turned my attention to serious drawing for some new work, which I will share when the time is right.

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