You still have time to order valentines and winter note cards! See GALLERIES/HOLIDAYS page on my website.

How about a copy of MACKINAC ISLAND MEDITATIONS for your favorite valentine? See PUBLICATIONS page.

A portion of profits from these products go to support church and community projects, so it’s an extra little gift you can give at the same time! You can order through my website—see SALES page.

WINTER DOLDRUMS? NO WAY!

Many of my northern Michigan friends are “snowbirds”—they head south for the winter. Not me. I love the rhythm of the seasons. Winter means the laid back coziness of being busy but not TOO busy!

I’ve had a soup pot bubbling on the stove weekly throughout the winter. It’s fun to decide the ingredients that will go well together to make a delicious soup—kind of like painting. Which design elements and colors will I use to make a pleasing picture?

I belong to a group of artists (the Bohemians) which meets once a month for food and fellowship. In January we gathered in a school art room and worked with clay to make bowls for a fundraiser to be held next summer to benefit the Ottawa Art Park in Cheboygan, MI. My grandson suggested I might want to stick with watercolors, but it was great fun to learn a new skill as fellow artists and I worked to contribute to a very worthy cause.

CURRENT PROJECTS

But it’s not just time to relax and have fun during the winter months for this busy artist. I’ve just completed four new Leelanau scenes (see WHAT’S NEW?).

Ideas are percolating for an upcoming poster contest, but with foot-deep snow it’s hard to remember what lilacs even look like!

My commissioned house portrait is well on its way to being completed—it’s exciting to see how the owner and I added to and deleted from the reference photos to make a pleasing painting!

I’ve added some still life scenes to my gallery page (see WHAT’S NEW?). When it’s too cold to paint outside, I like to check out my refrigerator for things to paint!