my week

the view one foggy morning

The weather in Portland the last couple of weeks has been kinda crazy.  High winds, snow, sunny and clear, fog, and, of course, rain . . . and lots of it.  You know it's bad when water is coming up through the cracks of your basement floor.  Just when we had the flooding under control, we discovered a drip from the kitchen ceiling.  It's amazing how unwanted water in the home can take you over the edge.

Looking back a year ago in this post, it was the same scenario.

The toy of choice in our household is Playmobil.  And, for the last few days, it has looked like a Playmobil convention in our home.  I have found little figurines on our dining room table, on our mantle, lined up in front of our media cabinet, even in a shoe storage rack.  My tolerance for toys strewn in high traffic areas is usually about two days, or until an adult steps on a pointy plastic part - barefoot, of course.  Sadly, I'm realizing more and more that all this playing with Playmobil isn't going to last for very much longer.  Soon, the girls will want to move onto high tech toys, and make-believe land will become a thing of the past. Sigh.

This pair of Opening Ceremony oxfords has been hiding out in my closet for the winter.  I bought the suede lattice shoes on ebay a few months ago, just when the rainy season began.  It's still raining, but I decided to bust them out for a day.  

I'm entering my last week of 30 works in 30 days.  And I'm learning that when a strict production schedule is involved, there is little time for self-critique.  You have to take more risks with what you put out there.  On several days, I have been hesitant to post a new piece, because I felt that it was maybe too different from the landscapes I usually paint, like Creation (above, middle).  A few of these works have sold, so that's a great affirmation that I just need to trust my instincts more as an artist. 

To see what's currently available in my Etsy shop, go here.  Three of my works [Emerald Mountains, Lone Peak, and Twilight] are going to The Feather's Edge Finery in Bend, Oregon.  I first wrote about this wonderful little shop here.