new painting, "Legend has it"

I have to say that it's nice to work on a painting and not have a daily deadline looming over my head.  A pending deadline can be a much needed motivator for creative professionals, but it can also limit one's ability to further develop ideas.  For my 30 in 30 project, by the time I was finished with one work in a day, I was ready to move onto exploring other materials and concepts the next day. This is basically what my sketchbook is for, but, ironically, I didn't have much time in the past month for sketching. 

My latest original work is called Legend has it.  The snowy mountain top and starry skies are expected features, but the addition of [running] horses is a rather new interest for me.  I don't actually have an affinity with horses- I didn't grow up on a farm or follow the equestrian sport.  But, I do find horses to be stately, utilitarian, and mystical creatures.  Humans also have a connection with horses that seems to be more significant than with other large animals.  Is it that horses and humans alike yearn to break free from the confinements of our lives?

In the painting, there are phantom horses running on water.  I imagine the racing apparitions as part of a legend, which has been passed down from one generation to the next around the bonfire.  The legend isn't well formed in my mind yet, but I figure each viewer has their own legend to tell.

The latest art print in my Etsy shop is morning fog.  Initially, it was going to be one of my 30 in 30 works, but I realized I wanted to keep the original for myself!  So, I stayed up late that evening formatting the new art work and getting it ready to print. 

Morning fog is a mixed media work over a photograph I took of the Columbia Gorge.  If you've never been to the Gorge before, imagine an idyllic spa experience- soft misting, the scent of evergreen forests, and the sound of a waterfall.  It's a lush and divine place that brings endless tranquility to its visitors. 

For the month of February, I'm running a special promotion of my new print.  Regularly $20, morning fog is priced at $15.  For more details on this print, go here.

I still have some original works available in my Etsy shop from the 30 in 30 project.  In about a week though,  I will be taking a number of my originals out of my shop to prepare for an upcoming show in New York [more news to come].  A few folks have inquired if I'll be making any prints of my new originals.  For now, I don't make art prints of my originals for sale or sell the original works of art prints in my shop.  Just a policy I've had since opening up my shop. My plan, however, is to add a new art print or two in upcoming weeks.