On Love and Holidays

I am not a fan of most holidays. Christmas is an exception, of course, as I’ve already confessed. But most of them catch me an unprepared and reluctant participant. I do not enjoy doing things just because someone says I should do those things. Issues with authority perhaps? This is also why, when I have to identify with a particular generation, I identify with Gen X and almost take it personally when internet says that based on my year of birth, I am a Millennial. Whatever that means.

I guess it also doesn’t help that I do not feel rooted in any particular culture. I grew up in Ukraine, sure, but I was also an evangelical when it wasn’t as mainstream as it is now. All the holidays had to have a “reason for the season” or some other justification on why this or that secular holiday deserves to be celebrated and not boycotted. Which weeded out a lot of them.

Yet another factor is the rapid westernization of Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which happened to fall right at my middle and high school years. The “formative” age. Soviet holidays became uncool and western ones began awkwardly earning their spots on the calendar. Like Valentine’s Day for example. We didn’t quite know what to do with it.

But here’s the thing. Telling someone how much you love and appreciate them is worth it even on a day when everyone else is compelled to to the same. Just do it in a … non-conformist way. Or any way. Just do it today.

2020

Wow. We made it to September, everyone. What an unbelievably strange year! I feel simultaneously like it has been years since March AND like Fridays just come one right after another. Life is both very fast and indeterminably slow these days. Uncertainty plays tricks on our perception of reality.
I hope you have hung in there. I hope your loved ones are safe and sound and that you have found pockets of time to fill with creative things. Or maybe just stayed afloat, that’s all anyone can ask of a human in a crisis.

As for me, I think I went into this with fully charged batteries so to speak, and fared pretty well so far. My main source of stress has been the distance learning for my kids, which turned out to be very frustrating for everyone involved. I’ve been working from home most of the time since March. Before then, I negotiated the (highly unusual in architecture industry) work from home on Fridays. So it wasn’t a completely new thing for me and the transition went just fine. But working from home while also working as a mom, teacher, tech support and therapist to three kids is a whole new level.

We’re managing. It helps that I share custody with my ex and we both get to take breaks. My mom recently started helping with childcare, too, after an intense beginning of the year, when my dad was fighting cancer (he had his surgery right as the hospitals began cutting off all non-emergency procedures and not allowing visitors). That was no fun either. He is doing well now.

I keep trying to build good habits. A routine. Like going to sleep before 10:30 and walking in the morning. I schedule blocks of time on my calendar for work, breaks, lunch, and more work. I love my job but I feel like my whole life is being sucked up by “work.” It feels especially acute on days when I am more aware of the news and less certain of what the future holds or what exactly it is that I have control over. It feels a bit hopeless. And I know I’m lucky to 1) have a job and 2) have the opportunity to do my job remotely. I do appreciate that. I could be unemployed, a single mom of 3, with a mortgage and California-style utility bills.

Instead, I have a great job that pays those bills and I can do it from the comfort of my home. Despite being a woman, an immigrant and a divorcee, I am the privileged minority.

Other than an occasional sketch, it’s been a creative desert here. Somehow, it’s easier to channel anxiety and stress into learning an instrument 10 minutes at a time than into making art. I signed up for an app-based guitar course in April and worked it pretty hard for the first 3 (free) months. Once the trial ran out, I looked around for other resources but eventually bought the paid version. I’ve been slacking on it since then…paradox? I think I need deadlines for motivation, financial investment doesn’t do it for me.

I realize all of this is sounding depressing and gloomy. My friend said today that it must be the “smoke blues” - California is currently breaking fire season records and we’ve been waking up to ash in the air and orange skies for weeks now. We are constantly bombarded by more bad news. Sometimes, 2020 feels like one long endurance test.

But…it not all bad news. There are people in your life who love you and care about you. People who depend on your love and care. People who will risk catching a deadly virus to give you a hug. That’s the good stuff, something always worth waking up for.

Maybe it’s just me, but have you noticed that in this dystopian future, people are starved for connection? They are more eager to respond when you reach out, happy to give and get some humanity. It’s reassuring: unseen dangers are wrecking havoc on our routines but people we know are still the same and still want to know us. There is comfort in that.

Of course, they could just be bored. Too much time on their hands. I keep hearing about that particular effect of the quarantine, and if this is you…please keep it to yourself. See above re: work, distance learning, stress, work, no time, homework.

The point I am trying to make is this: we are living through very difficult times. And whatever your reality of that is at the moment, it is yours to own, even if someone else might have it worse. It’s okay to feel “smoke blues”. We will get through this by carrying each other and offering others the humanity, love and care we all need so much.

I will finish with a sketch from the archives: a basket of lemons, given to me by a dear friend. I got the lemons, she got a painting of them. Win-win! If life gives you lemons….sketch them :)

Happy, New.

Well, what do you say after going AWOL for over a year?

Hi! How have you been? Hope all is well.

I’ve been all kinds of good and bad during that year and a half. A lot has happened but the main event has been my divorce…If you’ve been through it, you know it’s something that devours your whole life for a while. The hardest times for me have been those to do with the kids…I have three, and they are now 10, 7 and 6 years old. They have been my lifeline through the difficult marriage, and now in the absence of marriage, it is my turn to be the rock.

They’ve done well, considering. These days, they split their time half and half between mom and dad and a lot of the scary emotional uncertainty brought on by the divorce has died down.

I guess it has died down enough for me that I can talk about it. I went through almost a year of therapy (and could probably do a few years more). I won’t go into detail about why all of this happened here but you are welcome to ask. However dramatic it may sound, I feel like a survivor. There really were times when I felt I would not make it. But I did make it, and I am happy now.

After the divorce was final in February this year, I decided it was also the time to change jobs. Try a different size firm, a different market, see how well I do in a new environment. As a newly single mom, I was also feeling the need for more income.

I timed the beginning date of my new job a month after I quit the last one. That month, I went on my own “eat-pray-love” adventure in Europe. I’ve been saving up for and planning that trip for a while. And it was so worth it! I spent a glorious week in Copenhagen and stopped by Berlin, Prague and a few places in Ukraine. There is enough material there for a whole series of blog posts, but for now, just a few sketches.

Berlin

Lviv, view out of a cafe.

Right before I went on my trip, two things happened: 1) I got into a car accident that totalled my car and 2) I met the man I am dating now. Those were two independent events :). It was easy to pull off a month without a car while in Europe, but after I came back, I scrambled to get another one as soon as possible.

On the other hand, after one date and a month away, I wanted to see the same guy. We’ve been going steady since. If you were about to roll your eyes, now is the time - yes, I am dating a musician. He’s good at it, too.

So yeah. Divorce, new job, epic trip to Europe, new relationship. I’ve been busy. Ah yes, I also passed my last (6 of 6) Architect Registration Examination and now, all that stands between me and an architect license is the CSE (California Supplemental Examination). That’s the goal for 2020.

Often, I get asked if I still paint. I do, though these days, it has taken the back seat to the architect job and the rest of my life. It is harder to make the quiet space for art and to get in the flow. I have to physically take myself into a specific setting: I am either 1) traveling or 2) participating in a life drawing session. Both of those are a break from the daily life, rather than a way of life.

And that’s okay with me. The other repeating question I hear once in a while is “How do you do it all?” That’s just it though, I don’t. I haven’t blogged for a year and half because there was no room for it in my life. And because the heavy topics I wrote about would be out of place here on the website dedicated to my art. I have been occasionally sloppy with my art sales during that time, too. I have not felt on top of my game.

Sometimes, it is time to step away. It’s tempting to beat yourself up for not being everywhere at the same time, for not living up to someone else’s expectations. I do it all the time, and the expectations are usually mine. But if you pause and look at yourself with compassion, as you would at a friend, it becomes obvious how ridiculous those expectations are. You are doing just fine. You got the things that matter covered.

And to others, it probably even looks like you’re “doing it all.”

Tomorrow, a new year starts. It is my annoying habit to question all conventions and I know that there is nothing magical about December ending and January beginning. However, I also know that we have the power to make it magical. So let’s! If 2019 has been good for you like it was for me, 2020 will be even better. And if it wasn’t so great…well, there’s no way but up!

Happy New Year!

Ukraine trip part 3 - Lviv

Lviv, Lwow, Lvov, Leopolis. The coolest city in Ukraine, no contest. It is the cultural capital of Ukraine, due to its breathtaking architecture, healthy emphasis on the arts, delicious food and adoration of all things Ukrainian. In a country with a history of conflicted identity, Lviv is proud to be Ukrainian.

I sketched and painted Lviv a few times (not enough!)...The experimental Yupo piece above was part of a 20x20 show at a Sacramento gallery.

Coming back to Lviv was wonderful...We caught the perfect weather and, although very short, our visit felt like a rich experience.

We came by train, from Khmelnitskiy. It's only a couple of hours' ride and I took the opportunity to introduce my husband to the standard travel choice of most Ukrainians - "platzkart", or 2nd class. This is basically an open train compartment, with two lower bunks, two upper bunks and one more lower and upper across the aisle. Your feet stick out into the aisle. 

Another super traditional thing about this train ride - the mandatory hot tea in a glass with metal holder. Apparently, these things have been around since the late 18th century.

They are, of course, also highly sketchable :)

Once we got to Lviv, we had an airbnb place waiting for us. A loft in a tower, at the end of four or five stories of a spiral staircase. 

And the best thing about it? The view...

The view onto the city in the morning.

The view at night...

The view inside the 17th century Bernardine church seen in the previous photo.

..And the view into the inner courtyard.

We stayed close to the apartment - which is in the old town - which is where I wanted to be anyway. There's the Rynok square, the main tourist hangout with the city hall and the bell tower in the middle. The square is surrounded by something like fifty historical buildings, each unique but playing nicely with its quirky neighbors.

Among the new places, I got to visit the House of Legends - a multistory restaurant / museum of local urban legends. We dined on the rooftop and I scored a goal, shooting a coin into the chimney sweep's hat (this is supposed to bring you tons of luck).

The Chimney Sweep monument.

Another stop was the Fedorov square, which his the location of a long-standing book flea market. I was limited by the size of my luggage, exchanged money on hand and also a little bit of common sense - otherwise, I would have bought a lot of paper. And vinyl.

Here, I am holding the first issue of my favorite childhood magazine. Mr Ivan Fedorov, the first printer of a text in Church Slavonic, is looking over approvingly from the distance.

Also, I painted this guy before - in my Unity series.

And this place - St Olga's Cathedral - is my favorite painting out of the series. I waved at it as we were passing by.

We missed the festival of street music by a week or so but, this being Lviv, music happened on the street anyway. We just kind of wandered into this Ukrainian girls choir performance at the Rynok square.

This is just a very small, curated collection of images I brought home with me. I love the photo above, taken from the top of the House of Legends. I didn't think of it at the time, but this East-West pointing wind compass illustrates the historical predicament of my home country. Stuck between Russia and Poland, Ukraine has been a favorite site of many wars between the East and the West.

Ukrainians are not belligerent people. More like, conflict-avoidant - it takes a lot to tick us off. Which, I guess, attracts all sorts of conquerors thinking we're an easy win. It is really a mistake on their part...historically, Ukraine grew all kinds of rebels and militias in response to the bullying neighbors. 

At the same time, the Ukrainian national identity has also been a site of conflict, particularly after its independence in 1991: do we associate more with the former soviet countries and their mentality or do we jump head first into the Western culture? 

Anyway...I enjoyed the trip thoroughly. Hopefully, a longer stay next time. So much to see, so many things to sketch!

A painting, and also some thoughts on the year past

First things first - I'd love to share with you another one of my floral paintings on Yupo. Take it as my visual New Year gift to you if you want. Enjoy it, breathe it in, feel it. This one is called "Reverence" - because, as I was painting it, the white flower was almost nodding at me, in an old-fashioned greeting and sign of honoring the other person. And I, in turn, was filled with awe and reverence for the simple beauty I was experiencing.

"Reverence" - watercolor on Yupo mounted on board. Click on the image to learn more.

Now, on to some reflections on the year 2016. This end of the year summary post is actually one of my favorite kinds to write. I like thinking in broad terms and I always discover something good I forgot to acknowledge! 

Alright, so, some exciting things happened last year:

• I went and got a job. There are many sides to this, both good and not very, but overall, I feel that it was a good decision. Architecture is the right fit for me and doing it full time allows me to do what I love while growing my skills and expertise exponentially. And it comes with a paycheck ;)
• On the other hand, my husband quit his job. And just as I was gingerly enjoying being the other parent (the one who goes to work and doesn't do anything around the house), he bought a retro video games store ,What can I say, the other-parent thing was good while it lasted ;)
• For the first time ever, I got published in a book. Two glorious spreads in "The Art of Crayon." Pretty happy about that!

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• Along the same lines, I saw a magazine publication with my editorial illustrations and a nice interview write-up about the artist come to life in 2016.
• Two covers of the English Teaching Forum. Also kind of cool :) A subscriber from Equador reached out to me after seeing the art on the cover. Little moments like that are the best part of putting your art out there.

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• Jung Katz published an interview with me. If people keep doing it, I'm going to have to start a binder or something :)
• I led a paint night for a local non-profit. It was fun, and my limited experience with acrylics was enough to make it a success!
• I participated in a couple of local art shows and several life drawing sessions. Definitely something I want more of this year.
• I learned something new. That's actually the understatement of the year. I learned a ton of stuff related to my architectural work - but I also took a guitar class. I'm signing up for the next session, so look out there ;)

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• I went to see Iron and Wine at the Gundlach Bundschu Winery. If none of this made sense to you - don't worry about it. If it did, you know it was awesome! More live music in 2017, please.
• My girls started preschool. It was a tiny bit scary, like any change involving my kids, but everyone adjusted just fine. The highlight of 2017 will be Katia entering kindergarten. Oy.
• We saw the ocean and snow and mountains and vineyards and orchards. I'd like to do more of that this year.
• Katia broke her arm. The year before, it was her leg. I wonder what next...
• I had an ice cream sandwich for the first ever. I'm not talking about Klondike bars. I'm talking about two soft, fresh oatmeal cookies with a scoop of yummy ice cream in the middle. There is no way back.

So there, highlights of my 2016, in no particular order. No resolutions for the new year - I don't like those. I will sit down and make a SMART goal or two in the next couple of weeks. What are yours resolutions or goals? How was the past year for you? If it was good, may 2017 be even better. If it was bad - hey, there's no way but up! Happy New Year!

How learning watercolor is like learning guitar

I recently began taking an evening guitar class. I signed up on a whim, though I've always wanted to know how to play guitar. As the start date got closer and closer, I thought about cancelling. I felt apprehensive about doing something I was a newbie at, in a room full of people who must have been better than me. I worried about not being good at it. I didn't want to look like an idiot!

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Quick sketch from a Renaissance Faire.

Fast forward several weeks, and I can sort of play a song, and I know what a key is and how to use a capo. This is light years away from where I started!

Why am I telling you this? Well, I couldn't help but think that learning guitar is very much like learning watercolor. It felt awkward to be a student and it gave me such appreciation and compassion for those of you who are trying to learn any new skill, and the tricky art of watercolor painting in particular. It's hard. It takes courage and persistence. 

So here are some morsels of wisdom to help you through a painting class or your own practice:

1. Don't expect a masterpiece.

Seriously. If you're taking your first couple of classes, be kind to yourself and lower your expectations. You will learn amazing things and have beautiful ah-ha moments but you won't paint like your instructor just yet.

2. Practice a lot.

This is the one thing that will make you better. And it also the one true barometer of your passion for this new thing you're learning. 

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Another sketch from the same Renaissance Faire. I recorded a bit of it, see here.

3. Keep doing it even when you are bad at it.

Everyone gets discouraged when what they are doing doesn't turn out well. My guitar sessions would drive me crazy if I were an outside observer. They do not sound like I know what I'm doing (I don't) or the way you imagine a talented friend softly strumming while you are relaxing to the soothing sounds. Same thing with painting. Most of what you're doing at first looks bad. You don't have to show it to anyone but you have to keep doing it.

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This one is an earlier sketch. I cringe when I look at the linework here. The 'hairiness" of the line often comes from hesitation and fear of making a mistake, and then you inevitably make a mistake, and then you try to correct it. Which, overall, ends up looking bad. The solution is accepting your mistakes and letting them be. Which translates into confidence, which looks like a nice, clean line. Theoretically speaking ;)

4. Embrace discomfort.

I am a proud owner of three left fingertip calluses, and a developing pinky callus. Those are achieved by pressing the strings against the fret (which, while your fingertips are still soft and sensitive, hurts). When it comes to learning watercolor, the discomfort is mostly in your head. Any progress, however, demands that you get uncomfortable. Are you used to coloring within the lines? Let the paint bleed all over them. Are you scared of painting wet-into-wet? Bite the bullet and do it at your next painting session.

L'aquarelle with Le Pen

Well, peeps, time is slipping right through my fingers, and it's already, technically, fall. Which, of course, you couldn't tell if you were judging by our 100 F Sacramento weather. So, here's some visual memories about the summer and an update on my so very professional life.

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This curiously shaped fruit caught my eye in my parents' garden, on a hot summer afternoon. Watercolor, Le Pen in Pentalic sketchbook.

I distinctly remember feeling, back in the beginning of the year, that there was no way I would have any less time to paint when I traded full time motherhood for a full time job outside the home. Boy was I wrong. 

The truth is, I don't necessarily have less time, but, rather, less energy. How is this possible? Did I sell the sacred nap hour-and-a-halves for lunch hours? And when does the intense drive to not do anything unless prompted by the kids when I get home from work end? 

The only thing that works now is going somewhere with the sole purpose of making some art, like figure drawing sessions or plein air paintouts. Maybe I need another self-imposed art project deadline?

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A coworker of mine brought this big basket of fragrant lemons to the office. I took the basket outside in the sun and sketched it over lunch!

Meanwhile, even with my lackluster participation in the art world, things are happening. I recently participated in an Art X Architects show at the Sparrow Gallery here in Sacramento. My art made it onto the covers of publications and the pages of an online magazine. I debuted as a contributor to a actual real book that I can even hold in my hands (The Art of Crayon, link below). There has been at least three interviews with me published in the last year. The ball is, inexplicably, rolling, even though I'm very busy working on a different ball altogether. 

(Hmm...now I'm thinking about the dung beetles :D. Are you?)

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I like being back on track to an architect's license. I like being able to provide for my family and grow in my career as an architect. It has been a very steep and exciting learning curve these past several months.

(The dung beetle, stubbornly pushing the ball up the steep hill)

And, the very shortage of art-making time tends to activate my creative hunger. It's good to take a step back and evaluate my goals in art, not driven by the necessity of making money. I get new ideas that I want to explore...I just don't know when. Maybe it's time to write the "How to Paint with Kids And a Full-Time Job" blog post!

Until then, do check out The Art of Crayon book. It's beautiful.

The Art of Crayon: Draw, Color, Resist, Sculpt, Carve!

$17.19

By Lorraine Bell

Buy on Amazon

Enjoy the new video demo!

Here is me sketching and painting a couple of roses in a sketchbook:

A little sketch of roses to celebrate Mother's Day! I am using a Sakura Pigma Micron pen and watercolor paints on Fabriano Artistico hot press paper.

This was recorded with my new camera (Nikon D3300) which I have high hopes for: something along the lines of it filming and producing at least monthly videos almost by itself...I'm quite happy with it so far. Now, to find the time.

On a sort of related note, I have been talking about launching an online course for years and now that I have the equipment, I want to figure out what exactly this course will be about. When it comes to watercolor painting, I'm good at several things and I need to focus on one. What would you want to learn from me? I will love you forever if you let me know :)

Day 21 - Mimi's Cafe watercolor sketch

We went out on a date yesterday, also known as "let's-go-eat-food-I-did-not-cook" :). I brought along a sketchbook. This was the view from our booth...rather charming, with the chandelier, the oval mirror in an ornate frame, the little photographs and the big paintings on the walls. First thing that drew my attention, though, was the quiet and cozy quality of light. I tried to infuse the sketch with it. What do you think? Can you feel it?

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Day 15 - Harvey House in Progress (WIP)

This one is taking a while to paint and I have to steal short pieces of time here and there throughout the day to work on it. So, just a progress photo for today. The color has begun! :)

Day 12 - to France!

At least, virtually for now :) I got a few reference photos of windows and doors from Bix of France Painting Holiday and used one of them today. Not crazy about the result but happy that I actually managed to paint some. There are things I like and dislike about this painting, but in general, I declare it a dud, a stinker, a wiper. Any other terms for unsuccessful painting attempts? Often, my "wipers" turn into experiments (since I already know it can't get much worse, I'm not afraid to mess it up with wild ideas). On this one, I want to do a few things...One is to apply gesso with a bristle brush (for texture) over the timber and freshen up the color on top.

Day 11 - a few sketches from the days before

Things get crazy, no time for anything, etc. Here is a sketch of baby Ella (who is already 2 months old!):

And an animated gif of her created by the almighty Google through their awesome Auto-Awesome feature. I am having all kinds of fun with it. (Sorry if you hate pictures of babies...I can't help it! I promise I won't do it very often, though :))

The second sketch below is something I made based on a picture of a woman walking through an alley. Initially, I just liked the figure and the tall buildings around her (which were not dark or menacing in the reference photo). As I worked on it, though, it began morphing into an abstraction more and more and taking on a darker mood. I'm not sure it's finished. I like the transparent layers but I also want to see how far I can push it into abstraction and darkness. We'll see...

Day 7 - Italian Window 4

I was too wiped out last night to post this, so...I was about to say that it means two posts today, but probably not. Small changes in routine seem to mess up my painting opportunities in a major way. Yesterday, I had the baby's 2-month checkup appointment in the morning and then, a sick 1.5-year-old for the rest of the day. So not much happened in terms of art production and marketing.

This reminds me of the popular artist-blog expression, "life got in the way." On one hand, I can relate completely: "life" can demand so much attention and energy that you don't have anything left to feed your creative self. Or, in another scenario, you have to constantly switch gears between "life" (in my case, it means being a mom and wife) and art-making or business mode, can't focus on either, and become very frustrated. Multitasking, you say? What is that?

Now, as to the other hand...I am slowly beginning to realize that life, the one that "gets in the way," is actually more important to me than, albeit more pleasant and fulfilling in the short term, process of making and selling art. (This may be the reason why women artists rarely "make it" in the art world).

Anyway, another window from Venice today. Hope you like it :)

10 x 7" Watercolor and ink on hot press 140lb watercolor paper. Special price of $75 until February 1.

On Day 5, I rest!

...Not entirely true. I'm taking a break from daily painting because I need to catch up on housework (to a degree, of course. In my experience, housework is a black hole that will gobble up all the time and energy you let it). However, let's keep the Italian theme alive! If you follow me on Facebook, you may know that recently, I developed a new hobby: making wonderfully delicious bread. So, my current batch is Italian semolina bread that looks like this:

Go ahead, drool...Beg me to invite you over for a cup of tea. It makes awesome toast, too! :) And because I can't leave you without some art, here is a sketch of another loaf I made recently:

That one was a "peasant loaf" out of my new favorite book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." Interested in making your own bread that is easy, fast, and tasty? Check it out on Amazon:

The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

$18.96

By Jeff Hertzberg, Zoë François

Buy on Amazon

Day 4 - Neighbors

Venice yet again! I noticed these two windows sitting next to each other on two adjacent buildings. They have an intriguing balance of contrast and shared old world charm that I couldn't walk away from.

6.5 x 10" ink and watercolor on hot press paper. Special price of $75 until Februrary 1.

Day 3 - Restaurant "Chiodofisso" in Venice

I love street scenes. It's probably very obvious if you look at an archive of my work :). And I am particularly fond of European street scenes. Beautiful architecture, good food, people enjoying life - what's not to love?

This little restaurant is tucked around the corner from St Mark's Cathedral in Venice and, according to Yelp, it also serves great food. Next time I'm in Venice, I'll have to see for myself!

"Chiodofisso" - 7 x 10" Watercolor and ink on paper. Special price of $75 until Februrary 1.

Day 2 - Italian Window Once Again

Another Venice find today, a window with flower pots and shutters. I see a series developing!

9 x 7" Watercolor and ink on hot press paper.

30 Paintings in 30 Days Round 3!

I may be crazy...because I'm doing it again! If you are subscribed to my blog and you don't want to receive an email with new post every day for the whole month of January, you may want to manage your subscription (so that you only receive a summary once a week). If you need help doing that, just drop me a line and I'll be happy to help :).

I decided to have a tentative architectural theme for this set of 30 paintings. And I also intend to keep them small and quick, which will, hopefully, help me survive and keep painting until the end of the month. The first painting was born when I was virtually walking the streets of Venice in search of an architectural detail I would want to paint. Instead, I got drawn into this little alley and attracted by the expressive figures. They aren't expressive in the sense that a flamboyant dancer is, they are just silhouettes of people walking with a purpose or enjoying their vacation in Italy.

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Italian Window, December Virtual Paintout

Or, I suppose, it's more of a door...Virtual Paintout is in Venice this month, and I just couldn't miss it! During my first few minutes of virtually riding in a gondola down the canals, I realized that you can't go to Venice for a couple of days. You have to spend at least a month there. Inspiration is going to stab you around every corner!

I found a dozen of spectacular views on my short walk but settled for this charming architectural detail of a balcony for now.

Merry Christmas!

And a Happy New Year! Thank you for reading my blog an following my work, especially if you've been doing that for years :) Your support and encouragement means a lot to me.

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The image above is from my sketchbook, a super-quick painting of a tree shadow that I saw on our backyard fence and painted while talking on the phone. Inspiration has been striking me in unlikeliest places recently :)

In news, I'm considering participation in another one of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenges, which begins in a week. I really want to paint but I'm not sure I can swing it with two babies at home. Three on weekends...Yea or nay?