It happens to all of us I think.  Summer trips are over, fall trips are over, now it's time to really get some of those ideas that have been percolating down in some concrete form. The heat here in West Texas has subsided. We have had a beautiful fall, a long one for not all of our trees (we do have some!) have lost their leaves and their colors are beautiful and rich. Here in Texas we talk about fall long after some of you do battle with the snow shovel. God bless you, I remember those days! So, it's back to work.

I turned out several still life paintings while enduring the last of the summer heat. One is included in this post. It has been very satisfying working in a more academic, thoughtful way. The fundamentals are reinforced. The trick is to keep those fundamentals in the forefront of thinking while maintaining the loose freshness I so enjoy. It really helps to have an artist neighbor at Studio Thirteen where I have my space here in Abilene wander in and ask questions and make comments.

As indicated above I did some traveling in the early fall. My artist friend, Elaine Koehler, and I participated in a women's retreat at Glorieta Conference Center in Glorieta, New Mexico. That is a beautiful facility, and the grounds are spectacular. We stayed over a couple of days and painted our hearts out. The aspens and cottonwoods were in full glory!

Have a great day painting, and let's keep Christmas simple and meaningful. For the first time in many years I'm knitting some gifts. Now that's a throwback to the seventies! A blessed Christmas to you all.