Harry Connick Jr.

My husband and I saw Harry Connick Jr. in concert tonight.  What an artist,  his piano playing along with his singing were a pure delight to listen to.  It made me think more broadly of what the term artist really means.  He sang with emotion and talent.  The audience was drawn into the whole experience.  Made me more aware of the need of the artist to draw the viewer into the painting. 
I am very fortunate, as my husband is creating a pochade box for me.  He gave me a lovely box with paints for our first Christmas about five years ago.  I misplaced it when we moved into our house and by that time two years had past.  I started painting about four years ago.  How time flys.  The paints, pencils, pastels have all been uses and the lovely box just sitting there beckoning to be recreated.  I plan to do the 100 small paintings plein air recommended by, if I remember correctly, Kevin Mac Pherson. So the box is going in my car and I hope to have an intimate relationship with it.  May even lead to my posting more frequently. For sure will allow me to take my paints on our trips.

Indian River Lagoon

This started out as a Plein Air Painting.  I made modifications to it in the studio as I realized I had not provided a center of interest.  For some reason I get so enraptured with the beauty of nature and trying to capture it all, I lose what I want to say.  I am thinking of lightening my plein air equipment,  Has anyone had success with something small that is easy to fill and store and not too expensive?

Wet Land #6

"Have No Fear of Perfection, You will never achieve it!".   I wish I could remember where I read this, but at present it is hanging above my computer.  I need to remind myself constantly to work hard but enjoy the process and not ruin the painting by overworking it.   My New Years resolution about blogging has gotten waylaid for personal reasons which I am happy to say have been resolved to a great degree.  I  continue to paint on my WetLand series and realized that another reason for not blogging is I find that I need to set the paintings aside and look at them with fresh eyes.  If I post too soon, I eventually end up  redoing the painting.  This created a problem as I was posting  only when I had a painting to show. If I want to post more frequently,  I think I will need to find something (art history, studies of the masters etc.) and not attempt to achieve a painting a day as I allow it to put pressure on me (my perfectionist rearing it's ugly head.)  I really want to focus on quality.

I have to thank all the bloggers out there as they remain a valuable source of inspirations and education.