January 2024

and then there were two (detail), 48x30

I am feeling it necessary to mark this month.  I have been rebuilding, coming back from a challenging place I found myself in mid August.  With slow and steady dedication to refilling, January has had it rewards.

I finished this painting (above) last week and experienced one of those euphoric highs every painter hopes for.  This painting really holds a solid place for where I want to be heading with my work and represents a bridge of possibility.

I mean, "started and finished in 2024"!

Today, I finished another painting, an idea I have been marinating on for quite some time.  Although it is February 2, the bulk of this painting was also painted in January.

let's get together, 30X40

It has become EVEN MORE CLEAR to me how much solitude is required for me to paint these paintings. It is still surprising to me how much effort needs to be put into me quieting the exterior so I can hear (and see) the interior.  

We've had a very different kind of winter here this year.  It's made me realize, more so, how much I rely on our typically (bitterly) cold winters to give myself this solitude.  This year, this discipline will have to come from elsewhere.