some of my new wire wrapped pendants

Illustrating a childrens book-with a real and actual contract-also I am going to start posting the jewlery that I have started making.  I opened a whole new etsy shop for it-magicstonedesigns!!!!

pastels are fun and messy and dusty and incredibly smooth and forgiving and transparently lovely.  Different papers, different surfaces there re so many things to explore.  Playing with the light has been a wonderful experience, it truly is like painting with light, something I have always dreamed of doing

I have been playing with this image for a couple weeks-at one point he is flying with his umbrella, another has him being blown about by the wind.  I never show his face but just the shadow of a man teetering on the brink of something-mortality...the loss of control....I don't think it is a depressing image, it feels to me more of a letting go of what one thinks one is supposed to do or have or be and leaning into the world and being free...leaving the old behind

I am absolutely in love with these pastels .  I love how I can capture the light and shadows, the incredible palette of grays the darkness that defines the space.  The way I can move the color with my hands, almost like a dance.  It keeps just flowing and its a wonderful feeling

I have always wanted to try pastels.  Always.  I love the way they look, what you can do with them, the way they make you feel.  But they are also expensive, and I have enough stuff in my studio-and then, and then, my dear friend gave me a huge lot of them-all the colors you could imagine.  I brought that big heavy bag up the stairs and took out each tray like it was a piece of gold and just feasted my eyes.  But today I took one in my hand, and it was love, it was a fairy tale, things flowed and blended and came together like magic.  

What a dream, and how grateful I am that J decided to clean out her studio and gift me with all sorts of treasures.  Can't wait to get to work tomorrow...

It has been months.  A long sad and exciting few months.  Three major deaths in my life have knocked me down and yet given me so many gifts.  We moved to an 1855 farmhouse right next to the city, with a huge garage and a loft which has skylights and everything I could have dreamed of for a studio.  I am starting to get back into the painting and the working out and the eating right-the things that make me me.  At the risk of sounding sappy, I am finding myself, the true self and I AM SO HAPPY!!!!