cards, dogs and smelling roses

Much of my studio time over the last couple of months has been creating 3-d work, but I've also tried to fit in time to paint on paper. I usually let the idea define the media I choose to work in. Over time I have found that there is a natural rhythm to my choice of media. If I've gone a while without working flat, I swing back that way. Sometimes deadlines and commissions make media choices for me, but I try to keep my schedule loose enough for flexibility. One way I satisfy my interest in drawing and painting is to create cards that I mail to friends. It gives me great joy to communicate with people this way- it's the hand in this age of multi-tasking and machines- the same thing as slowing down and smelling the roses for both the sender and receiver. A bonus is that these cards often duplicate what I gain from my daily journal practice- time to draw/paint/collage without filtering and editing. The images that come are often the seeds for later work. The first photo is a Thank You card I made for a friend. This led to 2 paintings of the same dog (Lucy Brinkley) for American Folk Art and Frame.