#134 "Run With Me", acrylic, 16" x 24"

Today is a snow day in Bellevue. Such fun to sleep in, look out at the snow over a cuppa, know I won't go anywhere in my car today, have time to catch up on things like blogging. So here is something from another side of my psyche. It might be finished. It might not. It has been through several incarnations already...and maybe there will be more. (I was stuck for awhile, and realized the working title was wrong. I changed the title and was able to go forward). But for right now, this is it. When I do this kind of painting I feel strong urges to include some things and eliminate others. Among other attributes this cat is carrying 3 homes, a sign for transformation (the butterfly) and the bird that I have come to see as my guide. All of these are meaningful to me. I do not yet know what the bunny going backwards means. It shows up often. This time he seems to be just taking a ride. There are icons here for beauty, ideas, and growth. The painting as a whole feels cohesive to me. The Ray for the Day is "Run With Me".

#133 "Love Affair With Langley" calendar for 2012

Somehow I managed to forget to mention that I published a calendar for 2012 featuring 12 of the Langley oil paintings. Vista Prints did the work and they made a really lovely calendar for me. I am proud of this body of work. It is a great year when I make 12 paintings that I am pleased with. 2011 was one of those years. Think of it....that is one really successful painting a month (considering there are some months I don't paint....it's a better hit rate than that). The calendar was a big success. The two stores in Langley that carried it had to re-order and told me how much people loved it. The Ray for all the Days of 2012 is "Love Affair with Langley" calendar.

#132 "Waiting for the Bee Keeper to Return", oil, 16" x 24"

It has been 3 whole months since I last posted. The thing is...I love posting on this blog, so you know I have been otherwise occupied. The Holidays happened (I'm really glad to see them gone, even though I had a ton of fun with family and friends), and I masterminded a fairly major remodel for our Langley condo, prepping it for our final move there sometime this Spring. I also spent a couple of weeks in Mexico in October. So those are all my excuses. Now I hope to settle down to some kind of orderly painting life. I have had to come to terms with the fact that I am a seasonal painter. For years I have told myself I should be in the studio most days of the week. My muse awaits me daily, and so forth. The truth is I rarely paint from Thanksgiving to the New Year. I also don't paint much in the Summer. I can continue to beat myself up over it, or I can accept it as my natural rhythm. The latter seems the more sane approach to me. So this painting marks the beginning of Winter Painting Season for me. The challenge in this painting was that there was not a strong light source. It was an overcast day and the light was more diffuse. My task was to convey the feeling of a cool, overcast day. And, of course, this vehicle has quite a Iot of personality. I wanted to convey the feeling of a vehicle past it's prime and still beautiful. You've seen it before and will no doubt see it again."Waiting for the Bee Keeper to Return" is the Ray for the Day.