A productive week led to some new work,

and I feel excited again about the work I'll be showing at the Elemental show at the end of this month. New year, new energy - whew! The so-called 'holidays' really wiped me out this year, even though I consciously tried to keep the busy-ness at bay. I just don't have the energy any more for all the fluff and flurry, and am finding it impossible to ignore the environmental impact of consumerism - my participation in it causes me so much guilt. Those koalas. But. Nevertheless, a new year has arrived and thank goodness, a breath of fresh air and fresh energy to approach my work. I am stretching towards working bigger and working with oils - they really have so much more depth of color and perceived texture. I've found that the beginning of the painting has to matter - for me it can't be random marks. Even if the end result doesn't show those early marks, the journey from the beginning to the end must matter in order for the painting I end up with to look the way I intended. I feel that I'm reaching my goal of making paintings that have an emotional depth with a mix of orderliness and adventure; there are some jagged edges, some smooth landing spots, some reaching lines and some calm restful areas.

Leaving The Nest - Oil on Canvas, 2019, 36 x 48, Jan 2020