Decisions Decisions

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." --[Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien]

We had a day or 2 of strong winds... that blew in a storm .. then it got very calm... then the winds came up again and another storm blew in .... wow! ... it hasn't been like this in over 30 years here. Snow storms are very enjoyable here .... the snow falls... the sun comes out and the skies turn blue... it's magnificent!
Of course, my pickup has been snowed in for a week so I stick close to home. I did get out on the snow shoes today... fun ...
I also got to shovel some snow which I happen to enjoy very much as long as it's just the deck, a short path and around the truck ..... if it's the driveway to the highway... then.... well, let jim do that with his plow :-)

Notice that there are some deep drifts here and there.

Decide to be happy today!

Are you on the right track?

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. -Will Rogers

Don't tell us what you are going to do ...... show us!  
What did they say about good intentions?

The storm blew and blew last night... today we had drifts everywhere. I was snowed in so I went to plan "B"  ..... did a little paperwork and painted. This is a little study from "Gifts of Spring - Montana de Oro"

Knife painting oil on canvas pad 9x12

Something good

There is something good in every day... find it... look for it... look for the good things in life and you will be much happier :-)

The greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about. Anon. ... especially if you got your information from the news media. ... it's very difficult to flush that stuff out of our heads and get both sides of the story. Sometimes after we get both sides of the story we realize no one really knows the answer.

This is simply a small painting from a recent study using dorland's wax and a knife

You have a good day ... do something different today ..... even if it is a simple small something.

Oil on canvas pad 9x12 knife painting

There is always something new and exciting coming along

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Good growth is growth in quality ... not necessarily quantity, size and wealth .... someone please tell the government.
This week we received a heavier snowfall than in many years. The region has already exceeded the average moisture for the year ... things are looking up here on the desert.
I got out and shoveled a little just for the fun of it... a little is fun ... a lot, of necessity, is no longer fun. I kept it at the fun level :-)
Just so that you might also enjoy what we have I have attached a couple of shots.
Wherever you are have a great day... and go above and beyond what you have already mastered.
 

Do we talk too much?

Two great talkers will not travel far together.— George Borrow
heh heh ... I wonder why that is... that is a truism for 2 who talk a lot  even tho they may not be great talkers.... we might even know someone who falls into that catagory :-)

Keep your goals in mind today .... and remember what success really is
living well, laughing often and loving much.... whatever it is you think you must do today ... live well, laugh much, love a lot.
Paperwork always has consumed too much time to justify it's value.... were we better off prior to paper?  ... hardly ... but all things must be kept in moderation .... hey, would someone please tell that to those fools in Washington DC :-)

What if you could just ride around the wide open spaces ... gaze at the magnificent views... eat fresh food harvested ripe .... suck in the fresh air and bask in the sunshine .....  I offer an impressionistic idea of that below.

You may not realize it but we got nearly 2 feet of snow here in the past day or so and it's still snowing ...I carried the garbage down to the highway ... no K, it was not up to my waste and I was not barefoot ... I was bundled up well and enjoyed the walk ... I am thankful that I have a warm dry place to come back to .... touring the countryside on horseback and living in a tent might not be all that comfy... thanks anyway.

oil on canvas pad 7x12

Persistance

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated
failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. -Calvin Coolidge

If he left us with nothing else, that thought is worth his being around.
It all ties in with having a burning desire ... substitute " a burning desire" for "persistance" in the above quote.
If you want it bad enough, it can happen.

The other day a package arrived with the FEDX man ..... the pan I had been waiting for ... an All-Clad copper core ... what a pan ... it is beautiful AND it does such a great job with cooking. I love it! ... but best of all b uried in the box were a couple loves of hand-crafted gormet bread. Myquick sketch can not do it justice ... what a beauty! ... in addition, it is soooooo tasty. This one happens to be a sourdough olive loaf ... can't get much better than that.
Of course, in no longer looks like that :-) ... someone has been muching away at it.Maybe I can paint a picture of the open end or a slice.

Y'all have a good day too

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

Are you waiting for your ship ro come in?

Don't be waiting for your ship to come in.... row out there and meet it  :-)

This week we had the pleasure of having pose for us, Jim Eaglesmith, song writer, performing artist and story teller
http://www.jimeaglesmith.com/blog/

there is a sample of his singing on the right side of the blog page.

Jim Eaglesmith oil of canvas panel 9x12

Move it!

Get up and go... jump on it.....make things happen! ... Not many people reached success by sitting on their butts.

This is from the lesson on the current newsletter from VAA. Heavier paint, lots of knife work... from their original     "Let me See"

Oil on canvas pad 6x7

Cup of what?

Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow. -Langston Hughes
http://www.redhotjazz.com/hughes.html

And they used to get on my case in school for "day-dreaming"  .... little did they know :-)

I love chocolate ... I dream of chocolate from time to time .... and Langston Hughes said hold fast to those dreams .... sooooo...... I bought some raw cacao nibs ... it's a health food :-)  ..... quickly I found out that if I ground those cacao nibs; dumped the powder in boiling water; let it steep for a while; added my favorite herb tea the result was a delicious hot drink good for any cold winter evening.... this all leads up to the cup I painted this morning while waiting for Joe to arrive......

Oil on canvas pad 5x7

Look ahead

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.” Charles C. Noble

”Goal-setting illuminates the road to success just as runway lights illuminate the landing field for an incoming aircraft.”   Nido Qubein

Goals can be long range or short range .... they all work wonders if applied.

On these good days I try to get outside as often as possible ... yesterday I went for a walk for a mile or so... always great views ... always inspiring ... it's intriguing how all the trees and bushes change from season to season .... they all have their own way of doing things ... just like us.

oil on canvas pad 5x7

Patience

If you have an idea of what to expect you can be prepared .... or just the knowledge may even soften the blow ... so
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. -Lida Clarkson

Get ready for another full and exciting week ... smile when you begin your week... smile when it ends .... they may be for different reasons but smile nevertheless :-)

Ed 9x12 oil on canvas board

Ed from the coffee shop

But I suppose experience of life will in time teach you that tact is a very essential ingredient in all things. Jennie Jerome Churchill

some people never learn that  ....... and then, I suppose, it is forgotten by some of those who become grumpy old folks ... heh heh ..... no need to be grumpy ... it changes nothing... it helps nothing ... smile and go walk on the beach or something.

This is a continuation of the project of monochromatic quick oil paintings at the Portrait Society of Reno on Wednesdays.... sometimes they are not as quick as other times .... and I have not got the hang of gesture painting yet..... but we keep on trying. I did do 3 "quick" paintings last Wednesday ... this is number 2.

Ed from the coffee shop  9x12 oil on canvas board

A time for everything

Make haste slowly. -Suetonius
Slow down an live a little today ..... now-a-days it's "get a life" ha ha ... we all have a life... it going on right at this moment .... however, for some folks it does not seem to be exactly what they thought it would be.

This week at the Portrait Society of Reno we painted Ed the coffee house man.

Ed. the coffee house man 9x12 Oil on canvas board

Pictoral review of the Senic Nevada Gallery Portrait Society of Reno Show open house

Reno Art Museum

Refreshments were served ... there was a function over at the museum the night of our open house so lots of those folks came over for refreshments and to see the show

There was a constant flow of happy people

Some of the models showed up

another model

Genuine Laughing

Genuine laughing is a vent of the soul, the nostrils of the heart, and it is just as necessary for health and happiness as spring water is for the trout. -Josh Billings

These will be part of my dinner tomorrow ... at least one of them will .... organically grown carrots, sweet and tender ... I love it!

2 Carrots - oil on canvas pad 5x7