So... it's been a while since I posted. But it's a new year and I'm considering it a new start for my blog. :-) I've been very lazy about posting in it, but then life has also been quite crazy up until a few weeks ago. That's when I finally got to escape from reality and go on a three week vacation to Hawaii. Absolute heaven!

First piece of business is to post the final picture of my "Winds of Change" painting.



I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I've got it hanging up in my office at work and have gotten a number of comments on it, which was very nice. :-)

I'm very much looking forward to this new year. One of my goals is to do something creative every day. Work on a painting, tinker with a recipe, do a quick sketch, anything at all at least once a day. And I just happened along a blog by the artist Leah Piken Kolidas who is doing the Creative Every Day challenge. (See the sidebar to the right.) Serendipity, indeed! So I have signed up for that and am looking forward to participating and being inspired by the others who are involved.

Another thing that will help me is the portrait painting class I have signed up for that starts in two weeks. I'm thrilled! And I'll be returning to oils, which is what I love most. It's being held at the local museum and it's with an artist, Linda Infante Lyons, who's done many other classes there, two of which I've taken.

I'm definitely making my art a priority this year and am trying to find ways and opportunities that will support me and encourage me in this endeavor. So far, I'm off to a good start. Now I'm going to sign off and go sketch something while enjoying the beautiful weather outside!