I’ve been sluggish this week, but good and exciting things have still been happening.  We finally had a day with temperatures in the low 40s, and it felt so warm after the sub-freezing stretch we’ve experienced.  We were used to this in Minnesota, but it’s unusual in the Mid-Atlantic.  I like that the snow is taking its time to melt, but it was nice to get out and walk a few days this week.  I’ve been marching inside to get more steps in, and while it gets the job done, it’s a little boring.  Winter is my favorite season, but I do find my mind wandering towards Spring.  It tends to be my most productive time for home projects, and I’m looking forward to making more progress in our yard.  I am also looking forward to the longer days.  It’ll be here before we know it, though, so I’ll enjoy the snow while we still have it.

Here are my four things for the week: Learning art, a display of craft, the point of doing things, season of several books.

what I’m reading

The Van Gogh book I’m listening to is over 40 hours, so I have a feeling I’ll be camped out there for a while!   I like reading physical books while I’m going through an audiobook, so I’ve been pulling some of my Van Gogh art books off the shelf to study his works as I’ve been learning more about his life.  One of my favorites is Van Gogh and the Artists He Loved by Steven Naifeh.

Learning art has always been about studying other artists as you journey to find your own voice.  It’s fascinating to see his influences and how he used them as a springboard to develop his own language with paint.

what I’m watching

I haven’t watched faithfully, but I’ve been checking in on the Olympic Games most nights.  I enjoy watching people who have worked so hard have their moment to display their craft on the world stage.  I’ve also enjoyed the gorgeous scenery and the moving stories of athletes.

what I’m loving

“I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them.  I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how you do them.”

Kurt Vonnegut, on advice from a professor during an archaeological dig.

What are you doing simply for the sake of gaining experiences, learning, and becoming a more interesting person?

what I’m working on

I’m still at the easel, chipping away at commissioned painting projects as well as working on my next books.  We’re in the season where my book that comes out later this year is going through the final proofs and reviews, and we’re talking about marketing and promotion, while also writing my 2027 book, and nailing down the concept for my 2028/29 book!  It’s pretty crazy to have to work so far ahead.  In the blog world, I just write something and hit the publish button.  It takes about two years from start to finish for a book to hit the market, so it’s quite a lengthy production.

I’ll share more about this year’s book next week.

Until then, here is one of the recent pet portraits I painted…

What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?