Our Thanksgiving was lovely, filled with family and friends... and LOTS of food... so much to be thankful for always... but now that I am slowly recovering, I am ready to get back to the studio and start painting again! I spent some prep time there today and finished another ornament painting for the holidays!

I have had the photo from Karin Jurick's weekly challenge (different strokes from different folks) downloaded for several days, but wasn't sure how I wanted to approach it. I finally took the plunge today and painted it. I simplified it immensely and this is what I came up with.

When I first started painting I spent 3 months on one painting of a neon restaurant sign, trying to get the perspective and detail. It paid off with a jurors award and the sale of the piece, but it was hard!! So today I tried just a small cross-section of the sign and it was just as hard!! I tried to stay loose, but get enough detail to tell a story, and fit perspective in there somewhere. I'd like to think I will burn this photo and move on, but a part of me knows that I'm too stubborn to do that and one of these days I will come back and try it again!! 6" x 9" oil on Ampersand board.

Yesterday I finished a small study of a toy steam engine model that I had gotten at an auction this summer. One of these day we will fire it up and see it in action... in the meantime it is just another treasure in the studio!! I painted the smaller piece on Thursday and then did the larger piece Friday. The small one is 5"x 5" and the larger one is 11" x 14".

Today I did a small painting as a study for a larger piece. In my collage pieces I use a lot of vintage games and game pieces and I'd like to do a series of paintings of the same.

I also did a painting inspired by my friends birthday... the big 5-0! I'm not sure how that happened... I've know him for 20 years but I could have sworn I'm only 27... ;)... maybe it's time to change my pretend age to 37!?!. Happy Birthday, Herb!!

It's been a few days since I posted here, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been paining!! Since I last posted I've done another ornament for the vintage series, painted a very warty gourd, and painted a pearl earring that has been sitting on my drafting table (not sure where it's mate is).

On Saturday I painted this little guy. He is a vintage St. Nick ornament. He may have, once upon a time, come from the box of ornaments I have recently uncovered but I liked him so well when I got him that he actually keeps me company in my studio all year long. I have him clipped to the antler on my jack-a-lope (yep, eat your heart out.. not everyone can claim a jack-a-lope in their studio). But he keeps the Christmas spirit alive and well and makes me smile!

I have changed blog sites because this site is easier to navigate and has more options! So... welcome to the new blog site! These are yesterday's paintings... another Vintage Christmas ornament, an old tiny Oil Can, and a painting for Karin Jurick's weekly challenge, "different strokes from different folks! I will post new paintings later today! To see earlier posts, click here. And to go to my website, click here.