yellow poppies

I like my little moleskine Japanese fold journal for the most part--I like the continuously unfolding pages and the compact size--but the paper does not take watercolor well. I had forgotten that when I sketched this poppy plant with the intent to paint it, so I improvised with some colored tissue paper. And I got the nice, loose watercolor feel I was after.

birthday

Last year for my birthday I started a "tradition" (how many times does it have to happen before it is officially a tradition?) of doing a self-portrait. The birthday is still a few days off, but I had the time this morning and decided to jump right in. I like the idea that it is as much a record of how I look as it is where I am as an artist each year. This year I'm definitely a "collage-ist"!

inspired

What inspires you? Tonight I was inspired by dedicated artists whose blogs I visited after not seeing them for awhile. No real excuse for my absence--travel happens, spring happens, inattention happens. But those things happen to everyone and yet these artist/bloggers manage to keep on top of it. So in honor of being inspired, a collage riff on stained glass windows by Matisse--another source I can always count on for inspiration.