i can't believe it's been over a month and a half. yet in another i can since it does turn out to be the be the busiest season of the year. and there have been comings and goings by Jon & Claire, Martín and family, Tatiana and the best of all, a new family member.

Tigo Magellan we have chosen to name him.

a puppy of the best kind: funny, quirky, friendly (loves children and other dogs), cuddly, warm and playful. we are crazy about him. 

and he loves going for his daily run in the park. 

he even lives to lie at my feet while i am in the studio, a daily ritual for me as much as snuggling.

ofcourse we have spoiled him a bit...well, quite a bit! but he has made us so happy since we adopted him at Thanksgiving. 

he's my shadow!

November

and that season begins

a time for gathering, for thankfullness, for 

warm toes and frosty noses, for hearty soups and sweet smelling pies, for fireside chats and poking logs, and finding hidden faces in the shadows. for coats and crispy cruchy leafs afoot, for cinnamon scented packages and garlands on the mantle

toasty scarf awaiting toasty leggings

one of my favorite seasons in spite of lesser daylight. 

the colors

the bounty

the rituals

jason, victoria, ollie and ozzie visiting from costa rica

i remember a great quote by cezanne my friend lynne hoppe posted one time about the fact that one could paint a hundred years and a hundred years after that and still feel like you were just beginning. i have felt exactly that these past few weeks as i continue experimenting with new colors and new mediums. thrilling! 

i especially like having discovered the stabilo pencil which comes in many colors. you sketch and then paintbrush over it for a watercolor effect. look at those mona lisa hands! just with one pencil.

i used it again in black for the above portraits.

something went wrong along the week when i started to feel a bit sick and headachey, maybe from exposure to my art supplies, maybe just a bug. so i soent the next few days just sketching.

thinking of future possible paintings such as this version of a menina.

halloween has certainly had an influence 

i am trying to find my own artistic voice

i see a pattern of britishness.....well, i grew up in england so the influence seems embedded in my subconscious i guess.

although i have discovered fresco painting through kate thompson and loving it.

above is a pencil drawing of my friend jeanne marie in orvieto

cathy cullis continues to be a great go to. 

as is misty

and then there are those random moments of silliness

i love art, can you tell?

but the other good news is that i finally hot around to tidying the studio a bit thanks to a pink filing cabinet richard gave up for me

i turned a closet into a library

with autumn here, many hours will be spent here

if not here

a time of gathering