Yes, I know it is NaNoWriMo time, and by today I should have a few thousand words written, and who knows by tomorrow I might be headed straight into some fictional dysfunction that pulls me into a whole cast of characters, but for the last few nights, with the uncommonly warm temps, I’m just too happy to still be out in the garage studio dragging my brushes across and up and down with all the colors that just hit me right.

What I love about painting is there are no rules. I can add layer after layer thinking red or blue or green and then go yellow and white and find the small spots where something else might form. Yes, I have loads to learn and am grateful when I get suggestions from those artists around me who offer support and insight, but I also love to just play. I paint standing like I did in Kindergarten. Swaying. Making a bit of a mess. With the same joyful expression too.

When a painting feels finished I hang it where I can see how the different light adds to the movement and experience. I wait and see how the gold reflects from the lamps or how the white expands in midday sunshine. But really I just look to find a spark, a slice of that innocence and childlike delight that is at the heart of this artistic expression.

Yes, hopefully I will pound the keyboard with some new found drama tomorrow. But tonight I will catch all the possibilities for a little longer with a palate knife and brush.