Maia

"Maia", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

I'm continuing on with portrait studies with the help of my very curious kitten, of whom I am terrified that she will jump onto my palette! I was thinking last night as Zinny was exploring stuff by the fireplace as we were watching TV, that if humans were as curious as cats, the world would be a different place.

NFS

Woman in Blue

"Woman in Blue", 14 x 11 In, Oil on Museum Board

I've gotten very behind in my postings. When I'm reorganizing my life its difficult to think about blogspot and facebook until I get it all sorted out. Often in the winter I like to focus on portraits. They are a wonderful challenge. Progress in painting, like many other things, means striving towards the new and unfamiliar and slapping those habits away--habits of vision, of color, of thinking I know what I am doing and most importantly, habits of the hand and the brush. Our lives are built around habit and vigilance is necessary for such a beguiling adversary.

Girl in Green

"Girl in Green" 16 x 12 In, Oil on Panel

I painted this lovely model at the Plein Air Washington holiday paint-in December. Thank you to this group of artist friends for all the painting adventures of 2015! We painted in Jasper National Park, Whidbey Island, Nisqually Reach, Hood Canal, Mt Baker/Mt Shuksan, among other places. There is no better way to be in nature and spend time with friends!

Thank you all!