To think over something carefully
To devise something using one’s imagination or ingenuity
To assess the nature or importance of, especially with a view to a decision or action
To form a thought or idea
Each Thursday, I go to a productivity meeting sponsored by Willamette Writers. There, each person in the group gives themselves goals and the next week (or month or…) the various members come back and check on those goals. For me, this Thursday meeting has become the “end” of my week. Either I made my goals, or I didn’t. Lately, I’ve been hitting my writing goals (awesome) but it appears I’ve been accomplishing this by ignoring art and the blog. So, if I actually have any readers, apologies for the radio silence. I now owe you two additional blog posts by the end of May. Good luck collecting.
Does this mean I haven’t been painting. No.
Does this mean I haven’t been working on other projects? Also no.
Balancing the Woofs
Balancing the Woofs, book 3 in my Canine Accounting series, will be released August 5, 2026. The proofs have all been made and now it’s all about waiting!
The Next Writing Project
I am not ready to announce the next writing project. It is not book #4 in the Canine Accounting series. This book (working title Wandering Sadie) is designed to be a stand alone book that I will attempt to sell to a different publisher, the goal being to get more marketing support.
To tease any readers who have ventured this far, here is a preliminary blurb.
“I want a divorce.” With those words, Sadie Hugh’s life crumbled. Thirty years of her life erased in one sentence. As Sadie tries to rebuild, she narrowly escapes a group of criminals who desperately need information she unknowingly holds. Dive with Sadie into the world of camper vans, high-end Southwest art, and money laundering.
Other Writing Projects
I submitted an article to the quarterly Dog Writers of America newsletter. Fingers crossed.
I am also working on a humor piece for a small journal run by a friend. Writing funny is hard.
Teaching / Classes
I haven’t taught for a couple of months (good writing time) but my next class will be Creative Crayons. There is still some room if you find it appealing.
After that, I’ll teach a class about painting animals (mostly design focused) then a one-day acrylic marbling class (long story on how and why this came about).
Painting
Of course, paintings are usually the bulk of these blogs. My personal painting saboteurs made their opinions on some recent work well known.
How can I be expected to work under these conditions?
“Lunch with Joy” – 11′ x 15″ watercolor on paper
A friend posted the inspiration image on Facebook and I thought this woman, with her champaign and cake and fancy dress and laugh lines and big earrings, was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I’ve done some sketches, but this is my first “full size.” I feel like I’m playing it too safe and am getting stuck in the realism. I’ll do another version.
Casein Experiments
As I mentioned a few posts ago, I am working with casein. This last weekend I had another burst of experimentation. One thing I am liking about casein is that it allows you to create a colorful ground to start from. When I make a watercolor painting I don’t like, I throw it on a pile. Then, when I have too much casein paint when I want to finish a session, I just slop it over a painting.
I took this inspiration photo, and something about it reminded me of this overpainted purple base.
And so…
I ended up doing three separate versions. My friend said she liked them. I’m not so sure. I think there are some good things, but possibly still too… jerky? Any thoughts?
Conclusion
And so, for the last month, this is what I’ve been doing. Writing, painting, walking the dog. It’s a pretty good life.
