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My most recent finished painting is this self portrait that I did while looking at my reflection in a mirror. I’d like to share with you some progress pictures, close up detail pictures, what inspired the making of this painting, as well as some of my thoughts on the subject of self portraits as a whole. 
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 Last weekend, Ulan and I took off for a few days to Troutdale, where we stayed at McMenamin’s Edgefield location. For those of you who don’t live in the Pacific North West, chances are you may have never heard of McMenamin’s before. They have an eclectic mix of pubs, bars, historic hotels, and music venues throughout Oregon and Washington. Edgefield is my favorite location because it is only an hour drive from Silverton and makes the perfect getaway where you can fill your cup with inspiration, and there are endless things to paint.
 The sun is finally out this morning. Right now it is shining down on the creek out my window, turning the white rushing water into a warm yellow color. The frost is melting off the branches. Sunshine in the Pacific North West is rare this time of year. Overcast skies and rain pattering on the roof is the norm. I love January, not only because it is my birth month, but because it is the first month of the year and I am usually bursting at the seams with inspiration. It happens like clock work for me. I spring out of bed every morning and can’t wait to get to the easel.
As I have mentioned previously, I have many projects going at once right now. I am trying to wrap up a commission and get the ball rolling with the Davenport painting, as well as getting ready to teach a class and a workshop. I like moving forward; However, sometimes I can work day in and day out on a painting, yet somehow I don’t seem to get anywhere. It is easy to make the mistake of thinking that all it takes to make a great painting is showing up and picking up the brush. I believe there is an amazing amount of other factors that are necessary building blocks to bringing a piece to completion; whatever completion means to you. Happy New Year! I am happy to be here, creating these posts for you. If you have followed along each week so far, thank you for that! If you have popped in briefly only catching one or two, thank you for that as well. What I like about writing these weekly posts, is that it keeps me thinking and learning, while also keeping in touch with you on a regular basis. The first painting that I am to kick off the new year with, is a piece about a little local history. One of the things I love about Silverton, is the town’s love and respect for it’s History, which they proudly show in their many murals displayed around town. There have been many influential people who have made their positive mark on the world such as an astronaut, a world champion bull rider, a famous actress, and a world famous political cartoonist named Homer Davenport, who I will focus on today.  Self portrait, Homer Davenport Slow and steady wins the race. How to beat procrastination and maintain consistent productivity.12/2/2018  We all have things we want make happen. It can be overwhelming and discouraging to try to manage all of life’s responsibilities while still making time to do the things we love. It is common to look at a really successful artists and think they must have been sprinkled with pixie dust at birth. You might think you could never be that good so why even try? However, the truth is that every great artist once had to learn how to draw, and to persevere. Once momentum is built, creating can seem effortless. However, we all fall off track from time to time and it can be difficult to get back on. I have learned some tricks over the years to overcome this, and I would like to share them with you here.
I had the opportunity to travel to Italy recently through the generosity of the Artist’s Network. Since the weather is turning, I decided to finally write about this trip, in order to revel in the memory of those warm summer days in the dream land that is Tuscany.
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