For the most part I am on a self imposed sabbatical from painting.  I did my last painting in December at my old studio in Eastlake.  Then, packed all my brushes and paints and everything else in preparation for the move.   Once I was moved in to the spa it became apparent that if I stayed focused on the spa, it would eventually grow into a business that would genuinely support my art.   And so…six months later my brushes remain in boxes.  The spa is growing nicely and indeed in another 3 or 4 months the spa may have grown enough for me to start painting again.

However, in March I received a commission to do a few paintings for a new restaurant opening on the Eastside called Wild Fin.  So….I unpacked those brushes and created these pieces according to the specifications of the owner of the restaurant and the architects who helped design the interior for him.  Everybody loved the results and they were recently hung in the restaurant.   A few days ago I took my son and daughter (Sam and Lulu) to go have dinner and check out the place and the paintings.   We all decided they looked great but that the Cow painting could not possibly be good for sales!

I am 52 years old this year.   I have been painting for over 30 years with no sustained break.   It seems fitting that I would have a year off from painting at this time.  That said…it was nice to fire up the brushes just to make sure that like riding a bike, it was still there for me when I am ready.  I didn’t sign those paintings because they were not really my creations.  But whether they were art or not, they were certainly paintings and I found once again that I still really enjoy the act of painting as much as the act of creating.   I still feel sorry for writers who don’t have the sensual pleasure in the creative act the way painters do.

And yes….there are quite a few ideas brewing about how I will resume painting  and what role it will play in my life and the revived life of Little Red Studio.

Cheers,