Brighter Days

I have spent too much time this past week painting my kitchen cabinets under grey skies and very little in my studio so today I decided to inject some brightness into my day.  With only 10 paintings left to complete this year's 52 WEEKS project I have been giving a lot of thought to next year's.  I know that I will be working on 8x10 gallery profile canvases and I think I know the subject matter already, so I thought it might be a good idea to begin prepping the new canvases.  At the end of the year I will remove the current series and package to unveil next May.  Though it seems a long way away, that will give me time to create a book about the series as I have done for the previous four.

I'm sitting in my studio as I write this, with my salt lamp glowing warmly, the scent of sweet grass in the air, and am enjoying this time to view all the ladies I have painted thus far and wondering who else will end up as part of this work.  There are many women of many nationalities, talents, interests and skills whom it gives me much pleasure to see daily included in this body of work.  Though I have chosen each woman for different reasons, they all have one thing in common and that is how they overcame challenges to be fully who they are....such incredible role models.  And such a privilege to paint them.