I realize almost all I do on my blog is just make posts about where my art is or a new project I'm working on.  I thought this one could be about other stuff I do.  The image to the left is a growler of blueberry honey and sage kombucha.  I love my little mad scientist projects and making kombucha is one of them.  My next adventure will be of Gin.  I love the stuff and think I have found a cheep and fun way to ferment and distill it.  I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.

  The other hobby I enjoy is to garden.  My first priority are the herbs.  I love to cook so herbs are my gotta have.  Next are tomatoes and peppers.  Everything else comes in line whenever.  I like building weird little landscapes as well.

I am really enjoying my work on this picture book. (I guess that term is used to describe children's books so adults are not completely deterred by it. I like it.)  I think I would love to keep working on them.  Maybe once I get the swing of it I can make them faster and build myself a nice portfolio so I could make it a more steady thing.  Who knows, crazier things have happened.  Keep you folks posted. 

It's been a while again and I've been a busy fellow and website slacker.  The good news is that I am working on a children's book though.  This is a glimpse of a page almost finished.  I've wanted to work on a children's book since I can remember, but have never felt that confident with my writing.  Lucky for me I didn't have to worry about that for this book.  I am really loving this project and hope I make Trista (the author) happy with the illustrations.  I will be having other posts showing my latest work pretty soon.  Off I go for now.    

People are the most interesting subject to paint.  Unlike objects and scenery, people demand a more accurate level of representation in order for someone to except it. Not only is the accuracy important, but the essence of that person is also important to capture. Those are my thoughts of figurative work anyway.  I've been looking at a lot of Lucian Freud's work and researching him lately.  He was a very unsettling fellow, but an amazing painter.  He has been a great inspiration to me lately.  I think I'm going to be a bit obsessed with portraits and figurative work for a while. Who knows, that could end up being the mass of my work for this year.

Well today is the day I set up at the Deming Library.  I'm really excited about this show because I'm showing a little piece of things I make as exercises towards conception of my next planned series.  A few of these paintings are my latest  from my series Through The Darkness Comes The Light, some are fun exercises for me, and some are pieces that are just personal for me that I may not show again ( like the painting to the left.   

I will be having a showing of my work at the Deming Library starting Monday January 27. This show is a visual journal of some of the work I have created since I have lived in Washington.  A few of these pieces are processes and experimental works between my series.  Hope you can make it.  

  Well, a lot has happened in the past three months since I last wrote on the blog.  The Studio Tour was great and I met wonderful people and made some important connections from it as well.  I had met a wonderful lady that helped me to connect with the Bellingham Arts Commission and am going to have my work up in City Hall for 3 months starting in January.  Also starting January 27th I'll have my work up at the Deming Library as well.  It has really been a great year and have met some wonderful people along the way. 

  I have been doing a lot of still life practice in oils lately along with figurative work and I love it.  The figurative work has really been inspiring me as well.  I have also made some figurative works in mixed media which kind of feels like coming to my old home for me since that was what I worked with for most of my life before oils.  I'll make sure to put up my newest exercises soon.

Well the studio tour was a lot of fun. Thanks a lot to my wife Hollie for being (as always) supportive and super helpful.  I had never done something quite like this before and didn't quite know what to expect.  For the most part I think I was pretty well prepared.  It was kind of odd setting up a show of my work in another couples home.  Thanks to the Leibrants there was a  place to show for the studio tour.  They made me feel very welcomed and comfortable right away.  I met a lot of really great people and completely enjoyed sharing my art and their stories.  I even got a painting done.  Maybe.  So if you haven't seen the pictures on Facebook, I'm putting them here. Enjoy.         

Next Thursday (September 26) the Jansen Art Center will be having a reception for the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour from 6-9.  There will be beverages and food there.  A good majority of the artists from the tour will be there as well to answer any questions about there work or for a bit of a chat. It shall be splendid and you may come if it most pleases you, and most please you i 

Ah yes, I have finally been able to do it again.  I finally got myself another easel that is easy for transporting.  I've wanted to really make a plein air  day painting and it has been done.  This is a painting for a friend that gave me the opportunity and place to make this painting happen.  Thanks Tom.