NEW YEARS EVE THOUGHTS

These holiday weeks have been relatively quiet here. Seems half the town has gone south. We had friends for Christmas dinner and our grand daughter came out from Juneau yesterday for a visit. We will have friends over tonight for fun and games.

I had intended to get two woodblock prints done before the end of the year, but am a long way from it. They are both for Baren exchanges. I have cut 2 blocks for the year of the rabbit exchange and once I start printing will do some reduction in one or both of them which should go pretty easily. but I'm anguishing over my image for the other one. The size is what's giving me problems... 13x 6 inches. Though it can be any orientation, I'm trying to do it with the 13 inches vertical. I've gone back and forth between 2 images, but now looking at something completely different.

I put my water mixable oils away a couple of weeks ago with intentions of getting back to them after New Years, but will have at least another week with these blasted prints. I'm admitting to myself that my love for printmaking has taken a downward curve. I've only done one or two editions for each of the last few years, and these have been for exchanges. The exchanges have been fun and I have received some real treasures and once I get into the long process, I do enjoy making them, but more and more I realize I'd rather be doing something else. There was once a passion there, but now it is just something I do. In this season of renewal, as I reflect on my recent illness and approaching another decade, time is much on my mind and using it more satisfyingly, more meaningfully is my goal for the new year.

My show in September is a big priority in my time and I want to continue with the oil painting, . And speaking of satisfying, I really must get back in the habit of sketching and/or painting my little "postcards" everyday. And with the daily doing will probably come more frequent posts on my blogs.

Here is a painting I was working on earlier in the month:



Creek 10 x 10 inches water mixable oils on canvas panel

I still haven't figured out how to get a decent photograph. The rocks definitely need more work and my values are off, more so in the photo than in the real thing. I like this stage of the painting better than the stage its in now:


I had done an under painting with burnt sienna before this layer.

I'm looking forward to long quiet hours in the studio in the coming weeks.

Wishing all a blessed 2011!

OOPS and NEW PAINTINGS

I am so inept at doing things on my blog. A few days ago I was adding some blogs to the list of ones I follow onto my blog and also deleting a couple that haven't had posts in months then clicked on the remove button and lost my whole list. What is so bad is that this is the second time I've done that. I got some back from the list of the ones I officially "follow".

But I'm making progress with the water mixable oils. I made a mahl stick that has helped a lot with details. It took me a while to figure out that it works quite well with just one end on the easel and the other end in my hand.



The School 9 x 12 inches water mixable oil on canvas



Beartrack Mountain 5x5 inches water mixable oil on canvus

I opened my little gallery today for the first time since my surgery in August. It feels good to be out here. I brought some of the oils out to get some feedback. Not very many people came by (the roads and paths are treacherous with ice), but the little one of the mountain that I just posted seems to be the favorite.

BACK IN THE STUDIO

I just don't know where the time goes. The older I get, the faster time passes., it seems. I went to Anchorage almost 3 weeks ago, then back to SE and spent a week in Juneau... partly medical reasons (all OK for now), partly shopping and partly to visit my son and grand daughter.

I stayed a little longer in Juneau so I could come back home on the very first ferry to our fair city on the 23rd. The car deck was full and there was quite a party atmosphere aboard. Seemed half the town was out to meet us. There's a very informative article about the ferry and our little city here.

As usual when I travel, my sketchbook and paints went along, but I only did a few pen and ink sketches. Back home came the turkey and time with friends and now back to painting.

These 3 were done last month before my travels. I had another photographed that I thought was finished but seeing it here, deleted it and decided to work on it some more.

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Buddha in Homer 16 x 12 water mixable oil


Inner Lagoon 9 x 9 water mixable oil


Secret Beach 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 water mixable oils