Finished... maybe.

I've been stuck in a bit of a rut lately.  Artist's block (writer's block for artists?) seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life, and as I haven't found a cure yet, it's always just a matter of waiting it out.  It's funny, the artist's temperament, the attributes which allow us to be creative are also so very inclined to melodrama, to find every lack of inspiration the end of the world. Alack! Alas! Of course, the reasonable part of myself knows better, and so I've been forcing myself to still pick up my brushes, to do studies, to work out step-by-step demos for the classes I teach, to finish the pieces that have been sitting in the studio nearly done for too long. I think the little guy below is finally done, or nearly so, there may be a few little bits left to tweak. 

Even in my uninspired state, I still think this might be my favorite Sebbie painting yet.  

Nantucket

I spent yesterday on Nantucket, which, frankly, is not such a bad place to find oneself.  I brought my plein air getup with me and was quite excited to paint some boats.  The wind, however, had other plans, for while you can paint in the rain or the sun or the snow, it's the wind that causes the biggest headache, quite happily blowing over all but the heartiest setups, and I had not planned for the wind.  So, wandering around looking for a spot out of the wind with a nice view, I found myself at Jetties Beach among the dunes, and set out to paint the racing clouds and sand.  I knew that painting sand dunes well is plenty tricky, but I'd never tried, so thought I would.  I think I could use some more practice, which, sadly, will mean spending more time at the beach :)