Increasingly I believe Nature is trying to expel us, we bad ape children who repeatedly kick her in the shins and set her hair on fire, and I didn't have a particularly gentle mother growing up. BUT, I like to incorporate lines from Emily Dickinson's poem "Nature, the Gentlest Mother" into my work.

A recipe for eggplant caponata from the Serious Eats site. It's delicious.

My painting, "Afoot and Lighthearted," is included in the online exhibit "Cold Wax International: A Juried Exhibition" judged by artist and gallery owner Dan Addington.

A cold wax and oil workshop will be held on March 16, 2024 at the Cultural Arts Alliance Hogtown Bayou location, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

My most recent project was created for the person who loves books and reading—for me. I enjoy fashioning small books out of old novels written in the early 1900s that no one remembers, the kind that sell for a buck at the flea market. Lately, I began using scraps of leather to make covers for this little gems, creating them in different colors and various stages of use.

The process of turning an antique printing tray into a landscape painting—I take sheets of Arches oil paper, which is paper designed for oil paintings, and I cut them into small pieces to fit the compartments of the tray. I lay these pieces out on board in the same configuration as the tray, and I begin painting.

Let’s talk about Michelangelo, an artist who was also a poet. When I first set out to learn a little about an artist who also wrote poetry, I foolishly believed I might find just a few people to read up on, but oh no. Artists quite often express a themselves through a variety of ways. In fact, most of them will explore more than one discipline and will excel in many of them at once.

Let's talk about Grandma Moses, or Anna Mary Robertson Moses. Anna had an interest in art as a child and had to sneak times to create. Being a girl in rural America, domestic duties were considered a much better use of her time than drawing or even a basic education, but her father liked to paint and would bring home newsprint for his little girl to use.

Let's talk about Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), a composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the first rate. He and his sister, Fanny, were well-known for their remarkable talents. Musical prodigies, they were, and they both grew into adulthood as master musicians, although some of Fanny's compositions were attributed to her brother.

Well, it's about that time again when I abandon my studio for the summer and head for a cooler climate. That means I'll be trimming my Etsy shop down to include only those pieces that travel well—larger paintings or paintings on wood and assemblages will not make the cut and will take a breather for a little while.