Happy New Year!

Happy new year everyone! Thank you for your continuing support and encouragement, and for reading this blog!

Nelson

Nelson likes to sleep in the center of the coiled up hose. This is one of the stranger cat sleeping places I've seen.

Wizard in Winter

This is unbelievable. Check out this video of the ultimate in holiday house decoration, set to "Wizard in Winter" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and broadcast on an FM frequency so you can hear it on your car radio as you drive by. You can read more about how the display was created here. There's a good still pic of the display here that shows the colors and details of the lights.

Carol of the Chins

A friend told me about the Carol of the Chins website -- "Christmas carols as you've never seen or heard them sung before." It's really funny. Check it out.

The Power of Water

The waves at the beach are huge today, because of a storm over the ocean 600 miles away. Your faithful reporter went to check it out, so you can hear about it firsthand, and I lost my house keys in the process. But that's another story for another day. I took these pics at low tide this morning.



There's talk of having to close the pier later today at high tide. The waves are already breaking over the low parts of it, where people fish.



The sidewalk at the beach is paved with pieces of broken shells, that glitter in the sunlight.



Very unusual climatic things happening here.

Incognito

I was at Smart & Final this morning, buying paper towels and a 25-lb. bag of salt for dyeing. As I was checking out, the guy behind me in line asked if I'm a painter. I wondered if I had suddenly become famous without realizing it, or possibly notorious. Is my picture on the front page of today's Los Angeles Times? Nope . . . no such luck. It was my shoes.



Evidently they're a dead giveaway to my profession, not that most people notice or say anything. Who was that masked man, anyway? And why didn't I think to give him my card?

Soy Milk Paint

I've been experimenting with powdered pigments in a soy milk binder. Here's a large flow painting I did today, that may or may not be done, depending on how it looks when it dries. It's 5' x 7'.



This is a wet on dry canvas monoprint using burnt sienna pigment in a thickened soy milk binder:



This is the same thing but wet on wet. These are both small -- about 12" wide.



The soy milk works really well -- much better than I had expected. It even sticks to the patio and won't wash off, once it's dry.

Leaf Imprint

This is the imprint from Liquid Amber leaves left on canvas. I like the way these turned out.

Eurobad

This is really funny! You have to check out this website of Europe's worst interiors of 1974. This one is my favorite:



I don't think I've ever seen a horse stable off of the kitchen before. Unusual, to say the least.

Winter Blossoms

First oxalis of the winter! It's not really winter yet, but for some reason everything is blooming early this year. Most people consider oxalis a weed, but I like its small bright yellow flowers.

Authenticity

There's an interesting article in the latest Ode Magazine titled A Writer's Worst Fear by Tijn Touber. Touber's computer "lost" an article he had just finished right before a deadline, and he writes about the emotions and insights he experienced as a result. Here's my favorite part of the article:

"If I write a good article but do it from a place of stress or panic or a need to prove myself, how does it come across to the reader? Exactly: filled with stress, panic and ego . . . Now I don't feel pressure to write any more exquisitely amazing stories, or deliver dazzlingly interesting lectures or even compose fabulous songs. I simply need to bring an awareness to what I do -- a goal of authenticity and truth, not some impossible standard of greatness. The rest will follow."

I needed to be reminded about that -- about authenticity instead of attempting to be great. I often get wrapped up in an impossible quest for the spectacular, when it's probably better just to be myself and do the work that I'm being led to do. Thank you for those words of wisdom, Tijn!

Late Fall Sunset

Look at the clouds at sunset tonight. Isn't this beautiful?

Color Association

I received an e-newsletter from The Color Association of the United States today. This is the organization that forecasts colors for the fashion and interior design industries. Their newsletter begins with the statement "As the world around us remains tumultuous and full of uncertainty, many people are escaping through whimsical entertainment or fantastical realms." Really? That's not something I was aware of before now. I'm not sure what it says about art, if anything, but it's something to think about.

Check out the beautiful color combinations on the various pages of their website. And you might want to sign up for their free newsletter. I don't subscribe to their services, but I do find the concept of color forecasting interesting.

The Next One

I remember once hearing a story about an artist who was asked which of his paintings was his favorite, and he replied, "The next one." Yeah, it's always the next one, isn't it? We pour all of our hope and dreams into our next creation, and inevitably, it falls short of our elevated expectations. I don't know how to avoid that. What I see in my mind is so much more glorious than anything I can make manifest in real life. I wish I could close the gap between the two, but I don't know if it's possible. Has anyone ever been able to create exactly what they intended?

Happy Birthday Buzz!

Today is my father's birthday. Happy birthday, Dad! Hope you have a great day!

Jon Swihart

I've been busy with non-art related stuff lately. In the meantime, check out my friend Jon Swihart's website. His paintings are fantastic, and the website itself is incredibly beautiful.