Happy New Year!

January has been busy;

* there was a ton of drawing to do; a half marathon, weekly portrait classes, life drawing class and then just everyday sketching and drawing...and 12 months of drawings to sort, store and photograph, followed by a trip to recycling.

*there were resolutions to make (and a whole month all ready in which to break most of them).  One that still has a chance is my determination to finish The Fifty State Plein Air Painting Project...only seven states left...flight reservations have been made for Louisiana in March...any suggestions as to specifics? things not to miss while my daughter and I are there for a week? On to Nevada, Utah, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska later in the year.

*12 little pastel nocturnes had to be put into their fussy little shadowbox frames...which was made more complicated by the lack of adequate heat in my studio (cold fingers are not nimble).

...all to tell you I have had a productive first month of 2014...even though no blogging. I hope you are getting some things accomplished, too. 

Pen and ink, charcoal or pencil.

Butternut Enters 8th Year

This past weekend I visited Montrose , PA for my mother's memorial service. I stopped in at the Butternut Gallery where one of my recent pastel paintings, Vermont Garden Triptych looks good on the wall. As usual, I was in good company...some old friends,  excellent painters and intriguing work in many media. The graphite artist, Zoe Tilley Poster has some of her charming "beasts" on exhibit, too.

Unfortunately the photo I took at the gallery was of unacceptable quality so I'll post a pen and ink drawing I did on March 12.

and a pencil wash sketch I did last week during our weekly cafe sketch gathering.

Happy Solstice and I got a gift!

My favorite holiday is here again...dark and gloomy, as usual. The sun, on it's rare and brief appearances here in Vermont,  has barely been able to peer over the distant tree tops during the last week. But what I like about winter solstice is that it is the turning point; ever so slowly the days will lengthen and light will strengthen.  May there be some bright cold sunny days right around the corner?

photograph by Michael Poster

Look who I found at Windham County Humane Society...what a lucky day for me! He's 16 pounds of cuddles. And he is obviously a painter's cat...look at the bold black brush stroke under his nose. He has not been named yet...any suggestions? He's a laid back guy, only slightly perturbed at a rambunctious cattle dog who is monitoring his very move.

In 2012 our two old cats, Harley (19) & Norton (13) left us six months apart. Many knew Harley who loved an Open Studio for all the attention she would garner from visitors. She never tired of guests. Norton was her exact opposite. At the first sign of a stranger at our door Norton would run and hide, a very private fellow.