Bit of an update

Well hi there, strangers!

Sorry for the momentary break in activity. I have a few things in the works right now (including a show at Tea Lane in Aberdeen this Saturday the 2nd of May) and I've been preparing for that, as well as finishing up a few digital projects. Among them, a logo donation for Valley Gaming, a rebranded game shop in St Croix Falls, Wisconsin. All the best to them!

I'm not one to air my difficulties online (anymore, haha), but truly, the last few weeks have been a bit tricky for me. I'd started experiencing shoulder and neck pain to the point where I had to take 15-30 minute breaks after about 2 hours of painting; both the frequent breaks and the pain made it difficult to get into the zone. As a result, my work suffered. When I finally decided to see a doctor about it, she told me that I had been grinding my teeth in my sleep (a sign of anxiety and stress) which had become a strain all the way down to my trapezius and even my deltoids.

So as difficult as it's been, I've been trying to cool down a little on my painting, spending more time and going slower on each work, trying to build up the muscles around that area to strengthen them, and generally taking it easier. I'm DYING to get back to daily painting, I am, but it's time for me to take my own advice and be kind to myself.

I will still be painting, just less frequently for a month or two, until I can get my mental and physical state in check.

What a drag, right?

Thanks for being here. Knowing that I have such a great support base is making it much easier to heal!

A Host of Golden Daffodils

          I wandered lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.

-William Wordsworth (1815)

A new painting in my Look Up! series. The daffodils almost appeared to be sojourning toward a lovely church sitting above a bus stop near the Morrison's parallel to King Street. 

12"x16" Original Oil on Canvas

Crimson Glow

This beautiful red rose cast an intense and unique red glow on the greens surrounding it; I have been having such a fun time painting these! This tiny painting is part of the Cubicle Art collection, named so because the paintings in this collection are small enough to be hung on a thumb tack, for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle. They're great for other rooms as well!

10cm x 10cm Oil on Canvas

Velvet Petals

I loved how the top rose in this lovely bouquet caught the light so crisply in some places and so softly in others.

This is also one of many pieces in my Cubicle Art collection, named so because they are small, portable, and easily hung on a thumb tack for those of you who would like a little more art in your cubicle or office. I've got a few hung up in my kitchen, too!

10x10cm oil on canvas

Sunbathing

These roses (a gift from my wonderful husband) were so lovely that I had to paint them in a mini-set.  I'm hoping to get a few more paintings in before they wilt.

These paintings are all teeny tiny 10cm x 10cm paintings that can brighten up a cubicle wall, being light enough to hang from a thumbtack. Hope you like them!

10x10cm Oil on Canvas

Autumn Vines

And this, friends, is how Aberdeen does October.

My fourth painting in my Look Up! series.

16"x12" Original Oil on Canvas

In The Edinburgh Light

In the golden Edinburgh atmosphere, the castle (which is made out of numerous stones, including old red sandstone) was bathed in an orange light, and cast an almost supernaturally red glow. I may paint a more realistic version at some point, but this is how I remember it hitting my eye.

This is the third painting in my Look Up! series, depicting point-of-view shots of majestic (and sometimes imposing) architecture. I hope you like the series so far!

30x30cm Original Oil on Canvas