Why Crocus in July?

I had great plans this spring, I was going to paint and post flowers that inspired me as they bloomed in my garden, beginning with some lavender crocus that bloomed on Easter morning.

 I set out with brushes in hand and a new book to inspire me, "How to Paint fast and loose and bold" by Patti Mollica, determined to get my art process loosened up and faster so I could keep up with my flowers.

April 9, 2023- Easter morning awakens.

I started off okay with a clever type of value study I learned from Patti's book. Look at each line horizontally and notice how the same color looks so different on each different grey background. A color can shout out "here I am" and then almost disappear depending on the background behind it.

 

Background color sets the mood!

 

I painted a couple of small color studies to test out my color choices. Note the May 13th date on the left hand page, I'm all set to go for finishing a painting for my May blog post. 

Then I decided on a last minute whim to go visit family on Memorial Day weekend and ended up with a surprise, an extreme allergic reaction to what the doctor thinks were 6 mosquito bites, seriously?!? Whatever it was, I did not feel well for over two weeks, I felt fatigued and my balance was off.

 

Testing, testing, testing!!

 

Now it's June and I'm feeling mostly better. My plan on this painting was to follow Patti Mollica's advice and try to use more paint and fewer brush strokes, really think about how I'm going to be efficient and not overwork the paint. Here I go, all on the same day...

 

Background wash, one brush!

 

Darkest value defines the light.

Bring on those green leaves!

All dressed up in lavender.

  

Boom, layer after layer going on, valiantly resisting the urge to touch up any of the brush strokes and then my painting time is up that day. 

We had made plans to go camping for two nights, something we haven't done in years. We have a grand time getting there, camp site is great, all is going pretty well until evening and then I don't feel well, I feel so dizzy. I can't sleep all night, the next day we hike a little but I am getting worse. We go home and I try to figure this out, I've had these attacks before, and I try all the things, but this just wants to hang on and on and on! 

No painting happening, I don't have the energy or focus for it. June passes by and now it's July before I finally feel up to figuring this painting puzzle out.

 

Orange completes the look!

 

 I wasn't certain how I was even going to finish this painting, I felt so discouraged about all the set backs and then I didn't really like how it was looking! I couldn't quite put my finger on what was bothering me, all the brush work looked pretty good and the values are right, I think... then I compared it to my photo and realized the foreground is a bit too bright for the flowers to really stand out, so I broke the "fast and loose" ideals and painted over the foreground again to darken it.

 

No shining stars without the dark.

 

What a journey, and I still can't decide if I like this painting or not, the brushwork in the foreground isn't as nice and the crocus look too stiff and heavy to me. At least I learned some new techniques and it is done. I don't like to leave paintings half done because they haunt me, seriously, they do!

 Happy Creating and Persevering...

(Sometimes creating involves not giving up, even when you want to.)

 >^-^<

Tina 

p.s. I am feeling better, not 100 percent, but better. Possibly some sort of virus messing with my inner ear and taking it's sweet time to heal. Thanks for reading! 

Focusing on Green - Steps for Dealing with Emotional Overwhelm.

Spring Green mini sketch.

I only have a very small garden space, but it is a much loved oasis of calm for me.
 

Iris

 Artists often have the ability of being very empathetic people which is a great gift to have, but the downside of being an empathetic person is that it is hard not to take in the suffering of others in such a way that you can't function yourself.

Nasturtium

Knowing this about myself, I already try to limit social media and news time, but sometimes even with those limitations I still find myself absorbing and getting emotionally wrapped up in the loss and pain going on in the world.

 

Gaillardia - Blanket Flower

 I'm used to feeling sad about things I can't control, but after several awful events these last couple of weeks I was finding it extra difficult. I felt so overwhelmed, angry and powerless that those emotions were consuming my thoughts day and night.

 

Strawberry

 

 I realize it seems illogical and a waste of energy to feel so bad when I'm not being directly hurt myself, so it was actually a relief when I happened to see a recent article from the Los Angeles Times that addressed this issue.

Here is the actual list I wrote down for myself after reading what the featured therapists had to say.

1. Pay attention to physical and emotional warning signs that you need to take a break.  Notice sensations of outrage, terror, overwhelm, despondency or numbness. 
2. You must stop and process these feelings. Don't flood yourself with new images and coverage.
   
3. Digest the stressful build up of these emotions by any type of healthy movement, writing, talking to people you trust. (For me, a good solid cry also helps.)
   
4. Take action in positive ways that are within your reach.
   
5. Do something kind and good where you are.
6. Start small. 

 Since now I know I am not the only person that may be struggling, I decided that sharing what I learned along with featuring some photos from my little green oasis would be one small positive thing I could do.

My Sketchbook

When I feel distressed it's actually harder for me to make art. My mind bombards me with thoughts that art making is pointless and self-indulgent and does very little to improve this brutal world. 

After processing some of those heavy emotions I could silence some of that negativity and focus on creating again. I like how these little sketches featuring sunlight through green leaves turned out. I would like to make a larger version to go on my wall as a reminder of how the green world calmly goes about growing a little at a time. 

Even small changes towards good make a difference.

>^-^<

Tina

p.s. Here is a link to the full article if you would like to read it.

Los Angeles Times - Coping with secondary trauma.

Finding the Focal Points

 

After spending the month of January researching about how to start a successful art business online, I found myself completely overwhelmed by all the advice and information! Especially after watching several "free" workshops and listening to art marketing podcasts, my anxiety level about attempting this had reached the keeping me up at night stage! Is this why cats stare off into space, their kitty minds are overwhelmed? If so, I can relate.

In an effort to organize this mental mess, I decided to try applying the same step by step strategies I use to focus my mind when making a painting. 

Step 1. Gathering ideas. This it is what I do first for a painting. I find the photos I want to work from, color test my paint choices, make pencil sketches and take notes on what I learn. 

+It's a good way to start, but obviously I needed to start creating some peace and order in the marketing research.

Step 2. Sketch out ideas. Usually that means making a loose pencil sketch and then testing out the paint color palette I decided on in the information gathering phase. 

+Figuring out an equivalent for marketing art is a bit trickier, but I think the step 2 here is to decide on an idea for a series of paintings to sell and start making them. 

Step 3. Plan a foundation. I put down the first washes of color, doing this gives the painting a structure to build on. 

+I think the equivalent is setting up a plan of where and when people can regularly see my paintings and my painting process.

Step 4. Build on the foundation. Working from back to front, I painted the background and then the leaves, getting all those details in place before adding the flowers.

+It is key to have dependable structures in place for people to buy my paintings.

Step 5. Get all the key pieces in place. Now is the time to block in the light and dark shapes for the flowers.

+Find and connect with people who are interested in the art I am making.

Step 6. Be open to taking a few risks. I took a little risk by trying out a wash of metallic paint on the flower petals, a technique I haven't used very often, but I think is very appropriate on these flowers.

+Inviting people into my creative space to share more about me and why I make the art I do. For me personally, this feels incredibly risky and scary!

Step 7. Final touches. In this case, a thin wash of Quinacridone magenta over the flowers which brightened them up and brought all the hues together.

+Test out all the marketing steps by actually doing them, then keep refining until everything works together smoothly. 

+The "unifying wash" is my hope that sharing the beautiful little "aha" moments I observe in the world will bring joy to other people.

Even though I have the most awful anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach as I write this, I'm going to sit with my uncomfortable emotions and press on.

 Happy Creating! (and marketing?!?)

>^-^<

Tina 

p.s.  I illustrated this blog with steps from a painting I made for my brother's birthday in January. He requested African violets because they remind him of our dear mother. She had a real knack of growing these pretty little plants and usually had several of them blooming all over the house.

Why Do I Resist Marketing My Art?

                                                  The Safety Zone ©2015 Tina M.Welter

This question has been rolling around like a pair of dice in my mind for some time now. Recently I tossed those dice out onto the table by flipping that question on it's head and asking myself... 

What is the benefit of not marketing?

Yahtzee! The answers came tumbling out and lined up to make one word, protection.

I'm protecting myself. 

My top 3 monsters.

Dealing with people I don't know. I get why some cats hide under the bed when a stranger comes over, you don't have any idea what odd thing they will say or weird expectation they might have of you. Unfortunately sitting up on the highest cupboard and observing them for shady behavior is not considered good form as an actual human person.

All the anxiety I experience when packing art to ship. Is this enough bubble wrap? Did I get a strong enough box? What will I do if this package gets lost or stolen by porch pirates! Packing tape that fights back like a snakey demon that would rather stick anywhere and to anything but the dang box. Plus, all the storing of said packing materials. No more closet space, how about the back of the car? Yes, that is where some of it is stored right now.

Worst of all, silence.  All the work and effort of creating the art, plus doing all the social media and getting it where people can see it and nothing. I fear that nothing will happen, no sales, not even a mean comment to let me know someone at least had a reaction. It's heartbreaking to work so hard for so little return. Actually, I dread mean comments, avoiding real human trolls is another reason for me to want to stay hidden, yikes!

So, why am I admitting to all this? Many years ago I had serious anxiety over creating paintings, that was the issue I was exploring and sharing in the 'Fraidy Cat newsletter. I've realized lately that I no longer have that anxiety! All the step by step frame works I created for myself and kept practicing all these years actually worked! Ta-freaking-Da, today I am officially documenting one huge Artist Life Experiment Success! 

Which leads me to the next big question, can I find solutions for these "marketing my art" fears too?

'Fraidy Cat is seriously thinking about coming down from the top cupboard and going on the prowl.

I'll keep you posted, I definitely want and sincerely appreciate your support.

Happy creating! (and marketing?!?)

>^-^<

Tina

 

A Change of Vision

Normal view, driving on a sunny winter's day in Nevada.

February 7th I was working on some sketch ideas for my brother who had asked me in December about illustrating a short story-poem he had written. I was making some mini test paintings and as the room I use for my studio filled with bright afternoon light, it seemed like something was going very wrong with my eyes.

There was an unusual amount of black dots, “floaters” is what they are often called, appearing in my right eye. It seemed like I was looking through a strip of black pepper flakes. Plus, everything seemed more blurry, like I couldn’t quite focus my eye.
 

Illustration of the floaters and blurring inside my eye.

 My heart was racing as I called the ophthalmologist, of course this had to happen after office hours on a Friday. I left a message and tried not to panic.  

Last spring while dealing with the usual round of allergies, I had my first change of vision. I woke up one morning with what looked roughly like a faint circle of black dots suspended in a kind of thick gel in my eye. This annoying mass kept drifting in and out of the center of my vision, making it really challenging to see clearly.

I made my first appointment with an ophthalmologist in over 30 years.

What had happened in my right eye is called a “vitreous detachment”. It seemed terrifying, but it was explained to me as one of those “normal” things that can happen with aging. Sheez, the things no one tells you about getting older! The vitreous gel in the eye gets thicker as people age and may pull away from the back of the eye. That part isn’t dangerous to the eyesight, only if it manages to pull the retina with it.

Steroid drops helping, black dots are smaller and there is less visual blurring.

                     (Looping shape is the right eye vitreous detachment turned on it's side.
                       the dark dot on the side is from left eye vitreous detachment.)

Thankfully, my retina was fine, but the doctor warned me that if I ever saw a “swarm of black dots” that I should contact him immediately. Those black dots are blood cells making their way into the eye. Before you freak out about seeing those dots in your own eyes, it’s perfectly normal to have a few, just not a whole bunch suddenly appearing all at once!

I took a deep breath of relief, it was a nuisance but I could manage since my left eye was still clear. I was immediately disappointed when the doctor told me that this same thing would probably happen in my left eye! Sure enough, a similar thing showed up in my left eye in August. Sigh.

The only treatment besides the controversial laser targeting or risky surgery of having all the vitreous sucked out of your eye and replaced with salt water is patience. Gravity is your friend and over time will eventually pull the annoying things to the bottom of your eye where they are not so much in the way. It looks like they are at the top of your eye because of the way the brain turns the upside down images projected on the retina right side up.

By December, I had pretty much gotten used to the inconvenience. Yes, making art was harder. I often had to tip my head to the side to get them out of the way if I was working on something detailed, I cried now and then out of frustration, but dammit, I wasn’t going to let them stop me from making and creating whatever I wanted.

This is why the appearance of that “swarm” of dots in early February was so upsetting. The doctor’s office did call me back and I was able to go in to get my eyes checked on Saturday. The good news, my retinas were fine. The bad news, the back of my right eye was obviously inflamed, which is also a danger to eyesight. The question was why?

The name for it is Uveitis, specifically Posterior Uveitis in my case since it is the back of the eye.  If you search on-line for what can cause it you will find a long list of about 30 upsetting reasons. I looked them all up, trying to understand what might be going on, but none of them felt like an exact match for me.

The rest of the month of February has been a series of blood tests and doctors visits and medications. The good news is that several of the scary things on that list have been ruled out. I don’t have tuberculosis, lyme disease, lupus or toxoplasmosis. The shingles virus was a real suspect at first, but it’s not that either. I still have an MRI test to do to check for multiple sclerosis or a tumor, which are more scary things to consider, but I would like to know for certain.

The only clue I feel I have is that I had a nasty sinus attack Dec. 22nd and then came down with a cold on Christmas day. I was still coughing weeks later when I caught the cold again the end of January and had another painful sinus attack just before this ordeal with my eyes started. Did being sick for so long mess with my immune system and trigger the inflammation in my eye?

The steroid eye drops I am taking are keeping the inflammation at bay, which I am truly grateful for, but they are not a cure. 
 

Illustration of how it looks currently.

I debated with myself all month about talking about this on my blog, but as an artist this event really shook my world. The first few days were so very upsetting and I was full of fear of losing my eyesight. I’m still concerned since I don’t have any solid answers yet. I’m grateful the doctor said I could drive again, so that is an improvement.

It also feels important to me that I let other people know that if you ever get an unexpected blizzard of little black dots in your eye do not wait around, get to an ophthalmologist as quickly as you can!

Hopefully Creating

>^-^<
Tina

We Have a Winner!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful comments on my last post! Sometimes some outside input can be really useful in sorting out my own thoughts. I just have to remind myself that it is o.k. to ask other people for help. ;)

The orchid photo won the most "yes" votes.

I made a small 4.5"x6" painting of the orchids, this time using the acrylic paints I plan to use on the final large painting. 

 Acrylics dry super fast,which doesn't bother me much when painting something small,but I am concerned about working with them on a large 36"x48" canvas. I struggled a bit with this problem on the 20"x16" Blue Iris painting.

To solve this issue, I bought some liquid acrylics and a medium designed to mix with the paints to slow the drying time down a bit. I can also mix the medium with my tube acrylic paints to slow them down too.

I am often surprised by how different the character of a photographed image changes when I translate it into a painting. I do like the direction this artwork is going.

Plus, all these little steps have helped me feel so much more confident and excited to get painting! 

Unfortunately I have another hurdle to overcome. I am scheduled to have surgery to release a pinched nerve in my left hand/wrist on October 5th. I will be glad to have the feeling and normal movement back in my pinky and ring fingers again since they have been numb and uncomfortable since July 2nd. The recovery is supposed take six weeks. It will be interesting to see what artwork I will be able to complete in time for next month's blog.

>^-^<
Tina

 

Flipping Failure on it's Head

 

Well, I’ve had two months working on the 15 min. daily habit of creating. I started out pretty great, but after several weeks of success, I began to struggle a bit until suddenly I found myself in a complete crash and burn, i.e., me cheating on my creative time with a bowl of popcorn and a classic old movie on YouTube! Sigh.

 

Looking for some insight, I searched my "helpful suggestions" file and found a blog post from 2015 that I had saved from Zen Habits which gave me the exact shift in perception I needed.

 

Basically, Leo Babauta who writes Zen Habits suggests that failure is great when we start new habits because every time we experience it, we actually have real information on how to do better the next time. The good news is that the more times we fail, the more information we have to improve! How's that for flipping failure on it's head?

 

The key thing is to actually take a moment and try to figure out what is causing your failure. Make an adjustment and try again, and again, and...you get the picture. Just keep failing and fine-tuning until you create the solution that suits you. This outlook certainly takes the sting out of FAILURE for me and that is already a huge help!

 

Looking at my own experience, I can see where my habit needs some fine tuning.  For example, I recognize that for my habit to be successful, I need to adjust to spending more of my daily 15 min. in relaxing creative play rather than always trying to create or complete something. I think I will do better with a little less pressure. All I can do is adjust and try again...

 

I do think focusing on making this 15 min. daily habit has had some success too, in that it has moved creating to the top of my priority list for each day. I do get more done on my days off when I can spend a couple hours on a project, because I have moved those ideas forward in little steps the rest of the week.

 

Here's the link to Zen Habits original great article:

Fail Faster at Habits

 

& here's to learning how to flip failure on it's head!

 

>^-^<

 

Tina

All About Babe

"Babe" 8"x 6" watercolor  ©2014 Tina M Welter

Babe is a beautiful 7 year old Great Pyrenees who belongs to my friend Carol in Kentucky.  Carol is also an artist and when I shared with her my painting of Kirk (click to see Kirk), she asked about a commission for her dog, Babe, whom Carol says is the "best dog she has ever had." 

I started to feel my inner 'Fraidy Cat start getting nervous & fluffing up her fur.  I was fairly confident about painting Kirk because I was able to take the photographs myself, could I paint a good portrait from someone else's photos?  Could we communicate well enough through e-mail if I needed to make adjustments?  What about packing and shipping original art from New Zealand to Kentucky?  How to get paid? Plus, white fur!  When painting white, it means you use a lot of colors to give the illusion of white, it is tricky.

Babe, "the best dog she ever had" © Carol Bowles

Here is the original photo from Carol's phone that she sent me.  This was her favorite photo of Babe.  It was quite small and I wondered if I would be able to work from it. 

What helped me calm my 'Fraidy cat the most was how much I wanted to do this painting.  A strong desire plus dealing with one anxiety at a time.  It feels like such an honor to be asked to paint a beloved pet.  I know it is a painting that will be loved and enjoyed, and that means a lot to me. 

Facing the anxiety:  I could lighten and enlarge the photo using the preview tools on my Mac computer.  Using the larger photo, did sketches to move Babe's favorite toy forward.   Looked up postal shipping rates online. Found Saachi art had a great tutorial on how to pack paintings to ship.  Did palette and small watercolor sketch tests to figure out the colors.  E-mailed a photo of the completed painting to Carol.  Carol wanted a small adjustment to the eyes, and I was able to do that too.  I was a bit anxious waiting the three weeks it took to arrive in Kentucky, but it did make it just fine. Paypal took care of the payment.  Success!

The lesson I am trying to remember when my anxiety fur gets raised is this:

Just because I haven't done it before, doesn't mean it can't be done! 
#creativeanxiety 
(click icon to tweet)


This seems simple, but for some reason I often forget this lesson, even after I have been successful.   I don't know, but I hope writing about and sharing it will help me to lock it in.

Happy fear-less creating.

 >^-^< Tina

P.S. Would you like to read my 'Fraidy cat newsletter from last week, "Getting on the Airplane", which was only sent to my subscribers? Then subscribe to the newsletter on the right and I will e-mail you last weeks news letter...

"Fraidy Cat Gets on the Airplane" 2.5"x 3.5" graphite on paper

Here's an excerpt:
Getting on the Airplane

Now this is something that is probably going to sound so goofy to some people.  Remember,one man's fear is another man's idea of fun. ;0

Many, many years ago, the year 2000 I think, Jeff decided he wanted to take a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii.  Great, I had actually been interested in seeing Hawaii myself, but there was just one problem, I was terrified of getting in a airplane.  Not the flying part so much, I believed all those statistics that said flying was more safe than driving on the freeway in your car.  It was the claustrophobia of getting on the airplane with all those people, the lack of control.  Just the thought of it would send my heart racing.

Jeff being Jeff, he was determined to go.  I could choose to go or not to go as I wished, but he was going.  What was I going to do?....

Barriers

"Envy" 5"x 7" watercolor ©2014

Have you ever wanted something someone else had and then felt guilty for being envious?  I have.  I remember sitting in a church meeting and hearing a beautiful solo being sung and wishing I was up there singing it.  I have looked at beautiful pieces of art and wished I had created them.   The best piece of advice I ever heard was to notice that feeling and instead of being ashamed for feeling it, ask yourself "is this a key to what kind of creative things I want to do too?"

The next inevitable thought after that often is, "oh, I couldn't because....and next follows the inevitable list of why you can't.  All the barriers go up.  The trouble with these type of barriers is that some of they may be real and some of them are just illusions in our heads.  We also know deep down that doing something about what we really want involves work and facing the fear of being really awful at it.  It's easier to dream.

Here's an example of my goofiest barriers: Scarcity.  The paper/canvas is so nice, if I use it, I can't get more.  Anger.  How dare you suggest I can choose to use my time differently that what I am doing?  Home Runs. Expecting a perfect result the first time.  Time. Belief that I need a huge block of time to do something creative.   All of these excuses are illusions in my head that seem emotionally real.

My painting up there of my "Envy" cat is from a photo I took in Greece in 2008.  That year was a turning point for me.  That was the year I decided I was going to stop the excuses and take my desire to be an artist seriously.  My first oil painting in over 20 years, "Purple Glow", was really hard for me to complete, it took so long and I felt so discouraged.  I repainted it twice.  I did keep trying though, step by step learning something every time I painted and after six years, completing an oil painting is a much easier process for me.

That still leaves the singing, but I'll save that for another post.  So with the new year coming on, what is your one thing you really, really want to get better at?  If you don't know, what are you envious of other people doing?  What barriers stop you?  The "Envy" painting looks like the cat could be sitting at a window with glass, but she isn't, she is sitting behind a fence with open spaces she could easily jump through if she wanted.  Think about it.  

 To purchase a print of "Envy" click on this link to my Fine Art America site.
 

"Purple Glow" 8"x 6" oil on canvas ©2008

Queen of the Roost...

"Queen of the Roost" 7"x 5" watercolor c. 2014

We have finally arrived at the first painting I completed in New Zealand.  It was five months of unsettled life for us from Nov. 2013 to April 2014.  First, we attempted changing apartments in Dresden to try and save money in November.  Oh boy.  We packed everything up, moved, nearly froze, and then moved back to our original place.    In December, I did some sketching and rough paintings, but then we spent the whole month of January packing up again and getting ready to fly.  The middle of February, we ended up moving from the south island to the north island of New Zealand and then spent another month apartment hunting.

The couple we rented a room from in Wellington were so kind and understanding, especially when it was taking us so much longer to find an apartment than we planned. Our one week stay had turned into four. We agreed that we wanted to do something nice for them.  They had three mischievous little hens in their backyard who liked to get out of their pen and hide their eggs.  The big golden-red hen definitely caught my eye, what a beauty!  She seemed to think she was pretty special too. 

We moved into our apartment towards the end of March.  There is just something about having my own kitchen and a table I can work at that gets my mind back into the creative mode again.  After all that flying around, it feels so good to have a "roost" again!

Reality Check

Let the sunshine in!

I had every intention of having the pink poppy painting I was working on ready to post on the blog this week. Two weeks ago, I had a suspicious scratchiness in my throat and the next morning there was no doubt about it, one of those tenacious viruses had made itself at home and I was going to suffer the consequences for its visit.

I thought since I wasn't going in to work, that I would "make lemonade" and try to get some painting done. I managed about an hour's worth of work before I had to admit defeat. It may not seem like a person is working very hard when they are painting, but for me the concentration and focus did take a good deal more energy than I even imagined. I was glad I could at least make it to the Miniature Show opening with the help of Ibuprofen and Coca Cola.*

The next week, I did manage to go to work, which was good since there was a deadline for a piece of artwork that had to be finished that week. Jeff had been able to work on the piece while I was sick, but the bad news was that stealthy virus decided to visit Jeff and he took his turn to feel miserable.

I thought maybe I would paint in the evenings, but I was still feeling drained from being sick and after working all day, I just didn't have the energy. I am glad a didn't have a real deadline other the the one I put on myself to have the painting done. I think it is a good reminder that sometimes other realities happen.

While lying in bed, I did see some great sunlight through the leaves of one of my houseplants and I just had to take a picture. I am sharing it with you today. I just love backlight!

Jeff's Corner: *"I hear Keith Richards lives on that stuff!" (see above)

Spinning My Wheels

"Morning Light" 16"x 12" oil on canvas, ©2009

I finally finished one of the flower paintings I had planned for the spring show that isn't happening. I knew it would only take me a couple of hours, but I just couldn't seem to get started. It took me two weeks to get the momentum to paint for two and a half hours! That painting sitting on the easel just waiting did add to guilty feelings and caused me to wonder what was wrong with me.

The other bothersome thing is that I had developed an annoying muscle twitch under my left eye. After reading up on what might be happening, the diagnosis of "eye strain" is what I found. I guess working all day on carving detailed designs on pottery and then painting at night was taking it's toll. My eye muscle is less twitchy, so I guess I did need the rest.

I also had a bad round of feeling like my paintings are too stiff and lack a real sense of emotion and meaning. Thoughts like these are great for adding slick stuff to spin my mental wheels in. My goal this week is to get to the bottom of what I am feeling so I can get some traction again. This being an artist business really makes a person think.

Jeff's Corner: My policy is to take a break if any of my body parts start twitching...