Often times when I’m playing around in my art journal, I’ll start with the page on the right.

Because I’m impatient, and usually don’t want to wait until the paint dries, I’ll flip the left page down, run my hand or a roller over it, and make a print with the extra paint on the left page as I’m painting.

It makes a great jumping off place if I want to keep painting or for another time. On this day, I continued painting, and these two lovely men were born.

Gouache on construction paper in my handmade art journal

These two gentlemen were fun to paint. They both told me they had lived in my imagination long enough and were happy to be together, side by side in my art journal. Welcome to the world, fellas!

👯‍♂️ ← I had no idea this is the emoji for “friends”. Bunny ears? Interesting. Okay, Apple.

Reading: after having a frustrating reading week last week because I DNF 3 books, I got back on the saddle and started reading again. I *bought The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy a few weeks ago. I like it so far.

*I usually get a free or highly discounted book every month on Amazon because I take them up on their offer to extend shipping time in exchange for a coupon for a book. It takes a few extra days to get my stuff, but I think it’s worth it to get a free book. I think The Sideways Life of Denny Voss only cost me 40 or 50 cents.

I also renewed A Ticket To Ride by Paula McLean in my library app. I’m struggling a little to keep my interest with this one. I’m blaming myself for being distracted, and not in the mood to read lately. I only got a few pages in, so I’m going to keep giving it a shot.

Watching:

Jack Kerouac - Reluctant Icon | Biographical Documentary

Zelda Fitzgerald - Talented Writer & Artist | Biographical Documentary

Why Do Hopper’s Paintings Feel So Lonely? | Biographical Documentary

These 3 videos are all from the same youtube channel, which I can’t seem to stop binge watching.

Listening to:

Why didn’t anyone tell me about Wheelchair Sports Camp band??? They’ve been around for a long time, but I just found them last weekend thanks to someone posting a video on bluesky. I’ve binged every video since then. LOVE this band!!!

Jack and Dad are about to blow up HUGE. They’ve already had thousands more subs since I found them a week ago. Gooo Jack!!

I watched MGK’s Lost American Tour concert livestreamed on Saturday night.

My son sent me a link to Charley Crockett’s music, so I listened to a couple of his songs. I like his blues songs more than the twangy country. If you’re into old school country, he’s your guy. :)

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay (worldwide shipping).

Check out my weekly eBay auctions with low starting bids.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful. ☸️

This is my latest piece from last week. I used a General’s pastel chalk stick to draw this dear man with a bulbous nose.

This guy’s been hanging out in my imagination for a few days, clanging on the bars of his cage to be let out. I almost left him as a drawing, but decided he needed some gouache to bring him to life.

“But I'm glad you'll see me as I am. Above all, I wouldn't want people to think that I want to prove anything. I don't want to prove anything, I just want to live; to cause no evil to anyone but myself. I have that right, haven't I?”

Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

His beard was still glistening wet when I shot this pic.

If you’re interested in owning this one, it’s available here.

I haven’t been reading as much this week because I’m kinda mad at 3 books I was reading, and DNF them. One I didn’t even get through the first chapter because it was too violent. No thanks. I want to read to escape the horrible stuff going on in the world, not add to it with violent fiction. Ugh. I had to take a break to process my negative book energy, so I watched youtube and painted instead.

Thank you, David Hockney - indeed! He will be sadly missed by so many.

This is a new to me channel, so I also watched Defeated by AI, and Making Art When Others Are Suffering.

I’ve been struggling with both of these issues for a few years now. I liked what I saw & heard, so I’ subbed.

Charles Bukowski – Writer on the Edge | Biographical Documentary

Every so often I go down a Buk rabbit hole. He was a mighty fine writer, and a fascinating human. Every time I pick up one of his books to reread it or watch a documentary about him, I discover something new I didn’t catch before..or maybe I forgot, like about him getting married to a stranger. He really was a crazy mofo, and I would have LOVED to be friends with him. I think? 🤔

I also caught the tail end of this live portrait study done by HamRib Art.

I don’t watch painting videos often anymore because I have my painting style figured out, and want to do my own thing, but there was something about the thumbnail that made me click. I’m so glad I did because I had fun watching this one. I need to go back and watch the entire video now.

THE CURE LIVE | Primavera Sound Barcelona 2026

Heck yeah!! I love when bands I haven’t thought or heard about in years suddenly pop into my YT recommendations. The video is 2.5 hours long, and the energy of the band didn’t waiver. Robert’s voice hasn’t changed a bit.

Can’t it please be the early 90s again cuz I think we’re all sick of the 2020s. Sigh.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay (worldwide shipping).

Check out my weekly eBay auctions with low starting bids.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful. ☸️

These are random pages from various art journals of mine. I generally have a handful of journals that I’m playing in at any given time. I choose whichever one that suits my mood when I sit down to paint.

It’s hard for me to stick to just one book because they all have different themes, and are various sizes.

I have one small and a few large books for abstracts right now. I also have several small art journals for portraits, & at least 3 for large portraits.

This is one of my favorite two page spreads in a book that I’m pretty sure was meant for landscape paintings. Gotta think outside the box when you’re an artist. I bought a stack of these books in bulk years ago when I was painting landscapes, and I’m still using them today.

I also have a square “muted color” art journal for portraits. I need to paint 392 portraits to finish this book. I’m only about 1/4 the way done. Might be a while. ⏱️

I also have journals that have a random theme. There isn’t any rhyme or reason, which is super fun. If I have 5 minutes to kill, I can just open the book, do whatever I need to do, and go about my day.

I also like to have a stack of Mead composition notebooks on hand that I buy in bulk when they go on sale. I’m running low, so I need to start keeping an eye out for back to school sales, which will begin here in about a month. School usually starts about mid August.

If you ever feel like you don’t want to use your precious art supplies because it’s so expensive to buy more these days, (and prices keep skyrocketing), I hear you.

I just spent $115 on some gesso, black acrylic paint, Stabilo pencils, and 10 - 8x10 flat panels. I looked at the little box on my doorstep and thought..that’s it??!! That’s all you get for over a hundred these days??!! Almost seems criminal.

Don’t let the high prices stop you, tho. If you’re like me, and the thought of not making art is depressing, get yourself a cheap notebook, and some kid art supplies (Crayola) or student grade paint, and go to town. You won’t regret the time or money spent.

Dick Blick brand is good enough for art journaling, imo, but it’s starting to get pricey also & if you don’t use it fairly quickly (within a year, I’d say), it separates and becomes unusable. I also like Liquitex Basic acrylic paints, which comes in big tubes. It’s a bit more expensive than Blick, but higher quality..again, imo.

Another favorite substrate of mine is construction paper. I make my own art journals with it, and use chipboard for the covers.

You can get 50 sheets for less than $10. I cut the paper in half twice, and then glue them together, so I get 4 small pages out of each sheet. I wrote about making my own art journals here.

Okay that’s gonna do it for me today. I hope this weekly letter makes sense. I got a long winded, and rambled on today. I don’t feel like spending time to go back and edit now. It is what it is, and I’m gonna go ✌️out in front of the ac. Until next time, may you be well, happy and peaceful. ☸️

What I’m reading:

Margo’s Got Money Trouble - I had this one on hold and it became available on my library app. I’m 1/3 of the way finished. I thought I liked it at first because the writing’s good, but now it’s turning into a book about OnlyFans and WWE wrestling. 😒 Really not my cup of tea. Oh, well. I’m probably gonna dnf it later tonight, and move on to something I like better.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay

I ship globally from Etsy & eBay - for now. This is subject to change without notice, since I can’t predict what the US government is going to do on any given day.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

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You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
― Mary Oliver

What I’m listening to:

Arthur Fields - How Ya Gonna Keep’em Down On The Farm, 1919

This song was mentioned in the book The Paris Wife, which I read a few weeks ago. I had to look it up. It’s pretty catchy. :)

What I’m watching:

Jack Kerouac - Reluctant Icon | Biographical Documentary

I’m about to listen to On the Road, but wanted to refresh my memory a little about Jack first. Such a sad story. I’ve never read On the Road, and hope it’s not too depressing. Will see.

Totally Drunk Guy Is A Famous American Novelist Who Viewed Hippies With Disgust On National TV

The “totally drunk guy” is Jack Kerouac, and it was filmed in 1967. There’s more info in the description of the video.

THE LAB: DECOY | 6 Photographers 1 Man - A Portrait Photography Session With A Twist

6 photographers photograph one man. The results are interesting.

Decoding the Great Pyramid NOVA Remix

What I’m Reading:

A Ticket to Ride by Paula McLain - the author of The Paris Wife, which is such a good book. I’m hoping this one is just as good. I like it so far.

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

This is a book of poetry. I like to have an assortment of books going on at the same time so I can pick & choose what to read in the moment. I’m almost done with this one.

The Life of Chuck by Stephen King

I used to read Stephen King books every summer when I was in high school. Those days are long gone, but since I’m on such a reading kick right now, I figured why not see what he’s been up to? I picked this one because it’s only about 100 pages, and I won’t have to invest much time on it. I’m not a fan of horror these days. The world has changed drastically over the years, and I get enough of real life horror on social media. Just got this one last night on my library app when it became available, so haven’t started reading it yet. It’s gonna be another busy reading week for me.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay

I ship globally from Etsy & eBay - for now. This is subject to change without notice, since I can’t predict what the US government is going to do on any given day.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

I painted this portrait of Marilyn about 4 years ago. I recently ran across these photos, and thought I’d post them.

Since my old blog is no longer available, I’m going to start posting more of the oldies but goodies here.

I have my entire blog from my old website saved, 2011 - 2025, which means tons of folders stuffed full of photos that I’m digging through. I have hundreds of work in progress photos, plus some art supply reviews I wrote not too long ago that I want to share.

I will probably start posting the art supply reviews on the weekends, so look for those soon.

I haven’t offered this painting for sale yet. It’s still in my personal collection, sitting on the shelf over my desk as I type this. That said, I do have giclee prints of this painting available on Etsy and Daily Paintworks.

Audiobooks I listened to this week:

I finished listening to The Housemaid last week. It was okay. I gave it 3 stars, which I thought was being generous. Despite all the 5 star rave reviews, it was meh, imo. I’m going to stop at book 1, and not read the entire series. There are better thrillers out there, imo.

Also listened to half of Big Kiss, Bye Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett before I returned it – DNF. I would have enjoyed this book more if I read it myself rather than listening to the audiobook. Unfortunately, the option isn’t available through my library app.

The author reads the book herself at a rapid pace without pausing for air. She was so fast that I can’t tell you what the book is about. I kept zoning out because it felt like someone was talking at me, and it didn’t matter if I was there or not, listening or not. So, I didn’t listen, and instead checked out. I might as well have been listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher. If my library app ever offers the book to read, and I can take my time with it, I would try again.

Reading: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

I finished this one on Monday. I enjoyed the format and writing style of this book, even though it was a tough read. Sybil wasn’t an easy character to like. She had tremendous flaws that made her unlikeable from the start, but I’m glad I gave the book a chance. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but I ended up giving it 5 out of 5 stars anyway.

Watching:

Jimena Agra - Her paintings are magical. I binge watched a few of her videos in one sitting.

Then, a few days later Youtube recommended Jimena Agra: The Oil Painter with 1M YouTube Subscribers to me. I was like, wait, isn’t that the girl I subbed to the other day? It is her, so I had to watch it. I had no idea she was so well known, but I can see why. Wow! A M A Z I N G work!!

Youtube also recommended jasmine to me, and I love her art vlogs. She only has a few videos up, and I hope she makes more. She also has a Substack.

And this short film – Letter To a Person Who No Longer Exists by Justin Kaminuma grabbed me by the heartstrings, and won’t let go. It’s beautifully haunting.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks (US shipping only), Etsy, and eBay

I ship globally from Etsy & eBay - for now. This is subject to change without notice.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

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I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one gets older.

Virginia Woolf

This is so true. I can’t imagine creating for the sole purpose of “show and sell”. There has to be deeper reasons to dedicate a lifetime to art besides ego and/or paying the bills.

I keep a huge percentage of my art private for many reasons.

1. I paint and draw A LOT. If I posted every painting & art journal page I make, I’d have to post here several times a day, and nobody has time for that.

2. For me, it’s simply enough that I made it, I don’t require more from my personal art than the satisfaction it brought me to create it.

3. I like to think of the art I make for myself as a gift I’m giving to myself. I don’t generally share gifts other people give me, so why would I share the gifts I give myself?

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

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I think communication starts when words are not present. I think we put so much emphasis on language, silence is so much more important.

Marina Abramovic

I was sad to receive email that artist Igor Shulman passed away last week. I loved many of his paintings, but Jan 1 was my absolutely favorite. It’s one of those paintings that tells a different story every time you see it. There’s so much to take in, process, and wonder about. It’s magical.

RIP, Igor. You will be missed.

What I’m reading this week:

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

I’m listening to the audiobook read by Noah Reads while I paint. Sounds kinda cheesy - artist listens to classics while painting, but it’s true. :) I’m about 1/3 of the way through, and I’ve been painting these portraits…

I’m also listening to The Housemaid by Freida McFadden while I paint. I can’t seem to sit and stare at a wall when I’m listening to a book. If I meditate or lie down while listening, I fall asleep, so I either clean, paint or play games on my phone.

229146 people are currently reading this one according to Good Reads, and 1338682 people want to read it. It’s one that is easy to listen to - not all audiobooks are like this. I’m flying through the chapters, and can’t seem to turn it off. Every time a chapter ends, I think one more, just one more. The buildup is just perfect, and I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for something to happen. Something does happen, right? I’m on chapter 21.

Hunchback - Ichikawa Saou

Finished it this afternoon. Still processing how I feel about this book. Didn’t love it, which I understand I wasn’t supposed to.

The Definitions - Matt Greene

I hope to finish this one tomorrow or at least by the weekend.

I seem to be swallowing books whole lately, which was my secret new year’s resolution back in January. I don’t normally do resolutions, but I did set out with the intention in 2026 to read more this year. After a slow start, I think I’m starting to make it happen.

Last month, I slowly made my way through The Paris Wife, (which I gave 5 stars) but then dove head first into these four. I didn’t want The Paris Wife to end, so I savored it. When it did end, I knew I wasn’t ready to let Ernest Hemingway go just yet. I’m completely enchanted with him, his life, and the people he kept company with, especially Gertrude Stein.

At some point I’m going to circle back to Paula McLain’s (The Paris Wife) other books because she’s a fantastic writer, and I need to read more of her work.

What I’ve watched this week:

Ernest Hemingway, Wrestling With Life (documentary)

I Tried Hemingway’s (amazing) Daily Routine - Nathaniel Drew

Ernest Hemingway - The Later Years | Documentary

Ernest Hemingway Documentary to Fall Asleep To - I didn’t fall asleep while listening to this. It kept my brain fully engaged, and I ended up being awake until about 4 am. Oy! It made getting up early to feed the fur babies a bit challenging.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

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Thanks again to The Substack Post for featuring my art last week. I’m so happy everyone seemed to enjoy having a peek inside my art journals. A warm welcome to new subscribers & followers. :) I’m elated to have you here.

I’m staying with the same theme again this week, and I’m sharing more of my favorite art journal pages.

I’ve been on a wee bit of a painting break lately, so that AdminMe can catch up with ArtistMe. I have to do this quite often because AdminMe can’t keep up with ArtistMe.

ArtistMe has many series going on at once, plus several art journals in the works. AdminMe does the best she can to keep up, but she finds ArtistMe overwhelming most days.

AdminMe constantly feels drained and overworked. She’s always yelling, “Too much computer work!!”

I have a post coming up soon about the stack of paintings AdminMe’s been working on getting listed on Etsy. Oy. Here’s a sneak peak…

There’s probably 50 to 75 paintings in this stack, and to think there are boxes & boxes full of stacks like this one for AdminMe to photograph & list. Ugh. Makes ArtistMe never want to paint again.

AdminMe constantly grumbles and bickers at ArtistMe because of all the work she makes her do, and can you blame her?

Good thing ArtistMe has art journals to pour her creative energy into while AdminMe sorts this mess out, eh?

I titled this page Who’s The Fairest? A dear sweet lady asked me if I would make this 2 page spread into a print, so I scanned it, and jazzed it up in Photoshop. She loved it so much, she has two giant giclee prints of it in her house now. If you’d like one also, I offer small to large sizes on Etsy.

And now some super cuteness to end this post with…

What I’m reading:

Inside The Sketchbook of Adebanji Alade

What I’m watching:

whistledoen - I found this youtube channel the other day, and it’s delightful. She only has a few videos up, but I’m hoping she makes more. I love her filming style.

Cicada

B&W film from 1936 that shows the life cycle of cicadas. Riveting!

Cats and Domino - aw! I wanna get some dominos now. :)

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.

These portraits are all in the same little art journal, which I absolutely adore.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

I had to paint this guy 4 times because for some reason he melted every time I tried. I didn’t think I was using more water than I normally do, and the temperature in the room wasn’t hot. Yet the paint kept dissolving into itself until I was left with just a blob of paint, and hardly any recognizable features of the man.

I think this was the third try. This time when I saw his face dissolving before my eyes once again, I grabbed a piece of paper, and made a print out of him before his features completely slid around the panel and vanished.

It turned out fine in the end, I was able to finally get the paint to stick, but it was a weird experience. I painted another portrait after this one, and the paint stuck to the wooden panel like it normally does. Not sure what was going on with this guy, but I’m glad I kept working on him.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.

Henry Ford

Sooo thankful Substack finally has a center alignment option. It’s the one thing I missed after I shut down my old website and blog.

I titled him Square No 31, and he’s available on Daily Paintworks or Etsy, whichever you prefer. Just don’t purchase from both sites because there’s only one available.

What I’m reading:

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain - a historical fiction book about Ernest Hemingway & his first wife, Hadley.

I’m looking for a BIG escape these days. I don’t usually read romance type novels, but I’ve recently cracked that door open because love sure trumps doom scrolling all the worldly hate, wars, violence, and the cold dystopian feel to the world. We could all use more love in our lives.

So, romance and Paris it is. I screamed Calgon take me away, and the book did just that. Now I’m having a hard time putting the book down. All I want to do is read all of Paula’s books, and I just might. 📚📖📕 I’ve put her newest one on hold in my library app already, but it won’t be available for months.

I took a minute to refresh my memory about Ernest Hemingway by watching this short 30 minute documentary, and his later years (45 mins).

As I was going down these Hemingway rabbit holes, I got a notification that another book I had on hold in my library app was available. Oy! The timing isn’t great because I’m about 1/3 of the way through Paris Wife, and don’t want to rush through it. I’m thinking this is a book that isn’t going to end when I’m finished reading it because I’ll want to keep exploring Hemingway’s life because it fascinating.

At the same time, I also didn’t want to ignore the library hold, so I borrowed Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I read this book many years ago. My memory of the story is fuzzy at best, and I can’t recall if I finished all 907 pages of it. I’ve read just about every book that Larry wrote, so I most likely read it all, but I can’t remember.

Whenever I’ve thought of Lonesome Dove over the years, the story seems to swirl together with Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Grapes was one of my all time faves back around the same time I was also into Larry’s books, so the two books have melded together in my brain over the years. It’s gonna be fun to refresh my memory. I might just have to reread Grapes of Wrath, also.

I hope the spring/summer is long enough for all the books on my tbr list, and that I still have time to paint. 😉

Edited on 4.22.26: I’m going to return Lonesome Dove to the library. It’s a huge chunk of a book, which needs more time & attention than I have to give atm. I will circle back to it later this summer, perhaps? We’ll see.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

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It’s tax day here in the US, so I figured this painting would be a good reminder to take a deep breath and tap into the calmness within.

To me, this portrait—which I’ve titled Creating a Zen Garden Within—is all about an internal search for stillness & peace. I wanted to play with the idea that the "raked sand" isn't just something you see in a physical zen garden; it’s something we try to cultivate in our own minds, especially during unpleasant or chaotic times.

The act of drawing this portrait was a form of meditation for me. Just as monks find focus by raking gravel into waves, I found my own rhythm in the repetitive motion of putting down oil pastels and blending it with my tortillon.

I paid close attention to my breathing as I created this piece, and felt a great sense of peace within. I was deep within the zone.

Drawing this portrait helped me strip away the noise of everyday life and find a sense of quiet balance right under the surface. I’m convince that peace, and stillness are there within us at all times. We just have to be willing to sit, meditate, and quiet the mind to find it. Bring on the peace, baby! Let’s goooooo! Sadhu!

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

New! Oil & acrylic marker portraits in the Bezzie Series now available.

If you have a strong purpose in life, you don't have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.

Roy T. Bennett

Having a passion for creating is enough to fuel me most days, but when I hit a wall, I’m quick to remind myself to take a break, go meditate.

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.”

Christopher Hitchens

haha..this is not true in this house. 😂 ChewyBarka makes it very clear that his god is my husband, even though he never feeds him, I do. In this photo he lunged & bit me because I asked him how big of a doggie treat he wanted. I was being generous, but I guess he thought what I suggested was too small. He’s a greedy, mean boy. 🤣 The cats adore me, tho, so I win. 😅

Miss Pea had a birthday on March 29th, and turned 15. How is it possible that it’s been so long since she was a wee baby kitten who stole my heart at first sight? Aww..how I love this precious girl. Happy Birthday, beautiful!!

What I’ve been watching:

What They Don’t Tell You About Being a Full-Time Artist by Florent Farges

So spot on!! If you’re a new artist, I highly recommend watching it.

100 Faces Later… How I Learned to Paint Portraits by Studio North

I did the same experiment back in 2010, and thought 100 was such a huge number at the time. I didn’t believe in myself, and doubted I’d ever reach my goal. I kept plugging away at it, tho, and was gobsmacked when I hit the number. I’ve painted thousands of paintings since then, so 100 really doesn’t feel like much once you get going, and days, months, years fly by…and boy, does it ever. Whoosh!

Kiun B - I’ve been subbed to this channel for a while now, and I’m so addicted to hearing the stories about families who live in coldest region on earth, Yakutia. It’s fascinating how people survive when it’s -95F/-71C. I can’t imagine it being that cold. It’s been dipping down to -40F here the past 3 or 4 years, and it’s brutal. I think I need to insulate my house with cow dung like they do to stay warm.

Reading - life ceremony: stories by sayaka murata

I loved Convenience Store Woman when I read it during covid, so I’m hoping this one is just as quirky. I’m pretty sure it is, judging by the first story. lol It’s pretty weird, and knowing me, I’ll love it.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

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May you be well, happy and peaceful.

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I wanted to keep things easy, so I only used a handful of oil pastels in this drawing.

Every generation says this of itself, but these were indeed bewildering times he lived in, a time before iPhones were everywhere, and people still looked up as they walked, their heads filled with self-generated thoughts floating up from deep pits in the subconscious. A time when you still knocked on each other’s doors, and if you wanted to talk to somebody, you had to call them on a landline

Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness

I’ve become a huge hoarder of cardboard. This is just one stack. I have boxes full of this stuff, and it’s taking over my house. I either need to start letting some of it go into the recycle bin or I need to paint more. I feel like I’ve been slacking lately, so maybe I should paint.

Seriously, Mom? WHY can’t it be stacks of doggie treats instead??? You obviously don’t wuv meese.

My cats are obsessed with silvervine, and I like that it doesn’t make a mess like catnip does. I let them play with it as a treat a couple times a week, and keep it sealed in the bag the rest of the time to keep it smelling fresh. They love this stuff, and I love filming their goofy reactions. I’ll have to go through the footage, and maybe share something soon.

Watching:

• The happiest orange cat

😹 Orange cats are pretty silly.

• How I Turned Cardboard Into a Cute Mini Ceramic Mug ☕✨

• 7 Monk Lessons to Clean Your Home (and Quiet Your Mind)

The book he’s talking about in this video, A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind is on Amazon.

Reading:

Reimagining Masculinity by Ocean Vuong

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

“It was the kind of day where anything felt possible. As if the charity of the world had tipped, finally, to one side of the rusted scale. The kind of day where you can fill your scars with Magic Marker and tell yourself you’re normal—and it might be true.”

― Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness

This will probably be my favorite book for 2026. It’s going to be hard to find something that will top this one, but I will try because it’s only March, and I want to keep reading.

I’m madly in love with Ocean’s writing, so I borrowed his other book from my library app, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. It’s an audiobook. and from what I’ve heard so far, it’s as beautifully written as The Emperor. I’m only on chapter 2, and I’m savoring every word. I already know when I’m done listening to it I will borrow it again. I’m on the list to get The Emperor of Gladness again, but I have to wait 5 months because it’s in high demand. I was lucky to get it when I did.

Because I’m suddenly no longer in a reading slump, and want to play catch up for not reading enough all winter, I also started reading Writers and Lovers by Lily King. I’ve had this one on my TBR list for a while now. I’m a bit disappointed because I had hoped I would like this book, but it’s not my cup of tea.

Last night I looked at the glowing 5 star reviews of this book to figure out what I’m missing. I feel like it’s a “me, not them” type of problem because most people liked it, but I could walk away right now, and not care if I read another page or how it ends.

I’m only going to finish it because I’ve stacked too many books on my DNF pile lately, and it’s about to topple over from the weight of it in my mind. I feel a bit of shame when I don’t finish a book, always have. I don’t want to add another one to the pile. I plan on whittling down my DNF stack over the spring/summer. I won’t force myself to finish books I didn’t like, but I want to get back to the ones I stopped reading because I got too busy.

From Margaret Ray‘s book Good Grief, The Ground: bit.ly/raygoodgrief

This little snuggle bug fell asleep beside me, and kept having little dream twitches. He was poke poke poking me in the side. 😹😻🐈

Trying to knock the phone out of my hand takes extra concentration. 🤣

Repeat Until Death by Novo Amor - Performed by Tamara Laporte

So happy Tamara posted a new song recently. Her voice gives me chills. So pretty. I’ve been listening on repeat for weeks now.

[ASMR]Compilation set★ASMR SOAP★Crushing soap★Cutting soap cubes★FOAM&GLITTER&STARCH★

Fun title, color, visuals, sounds, and wow!! 5+ hours long!! I’ve had it up on my second monitor while I work for days now, and it makes me so happy to keep glancing up and stealing little eye candy breaks. All those colors are my colors.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky, where I post multiple times a day.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

I make my own little thank you cards to stick inside my packages. I’ve been doing this since I started selling my art online back in 2001.

I like to give them out for orders over $35 to show my appreciation, but sometimes I run out, like I did over the holidays. These take a bit of time to make, and tbh, since I feel most will end up in the garbage, I have to be in the right mindset to sit down and make a big batch. I had a few hours to kill, so I figured why not create some bright colorful art to give away.

Seeing the cards spread out like that reminds me of portraits I created a few months back. The colors are about the same although these portraits were made with oil pastels, and the thank you notes were made with gouache.

What keeps my heart awake is colorful silence.

Claude Monet

I found a new game about a month ago, and I’ve shamelessly/mindlessly played it over 350 times already. It’s called Arrowscape, and Maudie likes to watch the little arrows swish across my screen.

It does make a satisfying sound, I must say. 😁

I’m relisting some older giclee prints in my Etsy shop this week. I have 448 expired print listings, so it will most likely take me a couple months to go through all of them, and revise/edit/list or delete them. I’m working on it, tho.

Watching:

Buying a Cow

A silent French comedy short film from 1908.

I can’t imagine having to act knowing there will be no sound, which is why I love watching silent films.

Now AI has stolen my creative career, what art do I make? - a question many artists are asking themselves.

Reading:

A Brief History of Children Sent Through the Mail

!!! What the??

A Case for Joy in a Monetized World - “We know something’s wrong, but we don’t know what to do. We still need to pay rent, buy groceries, find a way to survive in a system that rewards efficiency over depth, image over presence. There’s no clear answer. Just tension, quiet resistance, and sometimes—if we’re lucky—a moment of clarity.”

I’ve been admiring the photography of Dennis Lehtonen. His photos of Greenland with its stunningly beautiful icebergs, and brightly painted houses make me so happy. I spent a couple hours looking through his photos, my mind is spinning stories of what it must be like to live there.

When I was young, my family almost moved to Greenland. It was the main conversation at the dinner table for weeks, but my father ended up turning down the job offer after much consideration. I remember feeling relieved, but also disappointed at the same time. I wondered how different life would have been there. I still can’t help but wonder all these years later. Different in a good or bad way, remains forever a mystery.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

Somebody goes ahead and dies and all of a sudden you become a box for them, he thought, you store these things that no one has ever seen and you go on living like that, your head a coffin to keep memories of the dead alive.

Ocean Vuong, The Emperor of Gladness

Last week I learned of the death of my best friend from high school, so naturally, I’ve been thinking of her, and having mini flashbacks of the crazy things we did back in the day.

I just read the book The Emperor of Gladness recently, and the passage above stuck with me, and sums up the past few days for me. My head has become a coffin to keep my memories of her alive.

Her death has nothing to do with this portrait. It’s something I created many months ago, and has no connection to what’s going on this week.

I hope you enjoy looking at the work in progress shots, while I tend to filling the coffin in my head with more memories.

Reading:

Things My People Say to Me by Orly Avineri

I felt this one to my core. 💕 I recommend reading it, and then listening to Orly read it, and then, if it moves you, as it did me, read it again.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

Bez·zie

/ˈbezē/

adjective

• denoting a person’s best or closest friend: “we’re practically bezzie mates”

noun

• a person’s best or closest friend: “she and Nadine used to be bezzies and even shared a flat”

My furry bezzies..

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

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Art, I understood now, was so much more than the sum of its brush strokes, curved clay appendages, or intricate stitching. There were stories woven, kneaded, and scratches into each piece. Blood, sweat, and tears intermixing with charcoal, textile, and canvas. Hopes, dreams, anger, fear, heartbreak, redemption, romance, and the thrilling sensation of falling in love all resided in an artist's word, the admirer of such pieces never knowing what emotions and story had shaped it.

Noelle Salazar, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily

Reading:

The Bubble - Living in My Own Little World is My Job.

I read this last summer, and keep going back to read it again.

Artist I’m admiring this week - PAN INKHOO 😍

Watching:

Egon Schiele’s Short, Scandalous Life — And Why His Art Still Matters

Basquiat’s Work Ethic

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

May you be well and happy.

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I used watered down gel medium as my glue to add these white paint chips to the page.

I didn’t think this would actually work. The paint chips are heavy, and the gel medium was too watery. I left it to dry on top of the fridge overnight. It’s warm up there, and when I checked it the next morning. The pieces stuck.

The paint chips definitely add more interest to this abstract piece. Not sure if it’s finished yet, but I like it!

I wish I could say I’m almost finished with this art journal, but I’m not even close. I made it back in September, and I think I’ve only finished maybe 4 or 5 pages in it so far. I thought I would be using this little journal constantly, and I’d fill it in less than a month. I had good intentions, but nope. Didn’t happen that way.

Ah, well. Sometimes I start things, but the timing isn’t right. Working on other series is higher on my list of priorities. I’ll get back to it when I can. I’m not going to sweat it.

The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.

Mary Oliver

So true, sadly, and on that note, I hope you’re having a creative week.

Art I’m admiring this week:

Adam & Andrea Clague - husband & wife who both make amazing artwork

Becca Brown - porcelain and stoneware artist

This flower painting by Lisa Daria

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

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One of the things that’s fun about trying out a new art supply is figuring out how to use it that works best for you. Weeks pass, and you might think you know all there is to know when suddenly bam! Without even trying or meaning to, you learn something new, and it takes you by surprise.

This will probably sound silly to those of you who have used oil paint markers forever, but I recently discovered I can build up layers with them. I had never given it any thought before, and the first time I did it, I was like like woah, seriously? You can use these things like paint??!! Okay, okay!

It was like a lightbulb moment, which suddenly changed everything. For the past few weeks I had been drawing one way, and now suddenly that changed in a blink of an eye. Layering markers? Why hadn’t I thought of that before? It should have been something I tried much sooner. Ah well, better late than never.

Making new discoveries like this is what keeps me interested in art. I get bored fairly easily, but when creating, there’s always something new to learn. If it does start to feel like the same old thing after a while, all you have to do is use a new pen, paint with a different size brush, switch up the paint - try gouache instead of acrylics or oils, change your color palette, work on different substrate, start a new series, and/or change your subject matter. Everything becomes new again.

Watching:

Ajahn Achalo is “rising up above the mud” (the news headlines) with his watercolor lotus painting practice.

Sādhu, sādhu, sādhu!!

Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Here

“A documentary about an important American still photographer who captured New York City in the 1960s (his work there is said to have influenced the TV show Mad Men) and later the West in Texas and Los Angeles.”

Lewis Rossignal - Storytelling and Creative Comedy

LOVE Lewis’s work. He’s so funny.

My artwork is available on Daily Paintworks, Etsy, and and eBay.

You can also find me on pinksky & blsky.

I’ve also been posting notes here on Substack in between these longer posts.

Feel free to subscribe, comment, share or like any of my posts.

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