Cat-in-a-Box

Well autumn is here!

My favorite time of year - and this is our first year in the Rockies, it is absolutely perfect!  In the past weeks we've watched the trees filter through each stage of color on the way to their winter rest.  I only hope that I blaze as brilliantly in the last quarter of my lifetime!

Traditionally autumn is a 'downgearing' time of year - activity slows, preparations for the winter ahead, hibernation (if you're into that).  But not this year, not for me.  Things are just revving up here and anyone reading this can come along for the ride!  I started this blog to complement my forage into a career in the arts, without really much direction.  It's been about a month since my first post - mainly because I wasn't really sure *what* to post.  I know one thing that always fascinates me is watching the process.  So it seems prudent to put some of that into my blog - and I've got a lot of process going on!  

Perhaps someday I'll be more structured and disciplined, but for now my M.O. is to have multiple projects going at once.  I always try to keep conscious of my mental attitude when doing my art - if I'm getting frustrated with a piece it is best to walk away, otherwise I run the risk of overworking it or just spinning my wheels.  But I'm not always done with art altogether at those times - so having another piece on the go allows me to divert my energies but keep moving forward.  When I come back to the first piece I have fresh eyes and usually I know what I need to do.

So in that vein let me introduce you to my current pastel works-in-progress (WIPs):

First: "Hey we're napping here!".  This piece is giving me minor fits - I started it awhile ago and since this medium is new to me I'm already adjusting my techniques.  Plus there is a problem that may not show up on the scan, it involves the white curtain in the background and it may or may not be correctable.  But I'm determined to finish this piece so by placing it here I'll *have* to keep working on it, right?  

Second: "Cuppa".  Now this piece is the biggest one I have on the go - but the problem I mentioned for 'Napping' is even bigger here - that being I started it with some crappy quality pastels while waiting for my order to come in, and I may not be able to salvage it.  I'm not quite ready to give up on it though - so I'm posting it too!  

Third: "Sarah and Harley".  A new piece!  Not even started yet - you can watch the progress on this one as we go.  

There's a lot of fodder for me to blog about here!  As I work on these pieces I'll post the progress.  If you have any thoughts please leave a comment!!