I just peeked out the window to see how soggy it is outside. All of our recent rain has been so good for the flowers. My iris and daisy beds are peppered with buds ready to come out, not to mention how the wildflowers have been thriving — they should make some fine subjects for future paintings.

As much as I love gardening, I don’t really do a lot of it — I have gardens with that overgrown English garden look . I, like most professional artists, have to spend my time making new paintings for galleries and shows. It seems like all artists, who really work at it and are successful anyway, can’t ever have enough. Something I read a while ago explained this. You are meant to be an artist if, while you’re doing anything else, art is all you can think about and you find yourself preoccupied with creative ideas. If, while you are creating your art, all of your thoughts are consumed by everything else (except art and creative ideas), then you probably should not pursue art as a career, but perhaps a hobby. You really have to love what you do if you’re going to be happy doing it. It’s true for every occupation, not just artists.

I think I’ve just finished a few of my paintings in progress. I have been focusing my efforts on my two larger swan paintings recently — but I think they’re just about finished. I don’t know about other artists, but I always have that urge to do just a “little more” work to a piece. I really would take forever to finish a painting if I could, however deadlines usually prevent that. I also just started a new mute swan painting, 24×36 this time (the largest swan painting I’ve ever painted in watercolor), a requested painting for my gallery out east. It seems I keep getting requests for very large paintings and very small ones.

I haven’t gotten around to updating the work in progress page, but I have a few larger paintings nearly finished as well as a stack of miniatures that I haven’t posted online yet. I am also planning a number of paintings in my mind that I am very excited to start working on — a fox painting in particular. Most of the paintings I have painted so far this year have been much larger than what I have painted in the past. I also think (thankfully) that I am speeding up a little bit .

If anyone has a painting or subject suggestion, please feel free to drop me a note about it.
“Those who follow the crowd will never be followed by a crowd.”
–Jon Maxwellind

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I have been looking through some of our new references from Arizona. Visiting beautiful places is so inspiring!! We had the opportunity to study so many species of hummingbirds, gathering thousands of photographic references, and even attended a hummingbird banding outing with an Arizona hummingbird society while we were there!! We were even fortunate enough to come across a young coyote in the desert that was a very cooperative model for us (keeping a safe distance away, of course). I am very eager to start a painting of him! (so many ideas, so little time!!) I want to thank all of you for your interest in my paintings and especially to those who are return visitors to my studio. All of the emails and notes I receive from you are so inspiring! Thanks so much for dropping by! "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind." –Dr. Seuss

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I have been doing some research for new paintings recently — part of which was a return trip to Arizona. We have had so many fantastic opportunities to gather reference and study various species of plants and animals lately! I also have several new studio works to post in the work in progress section of my studio – I will get those up soon. "Judge a man by the reputation of his enemies, and the character of his friends" –Unknown

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We have been visiting and meeting with several galleries recently in the southwest and western United States. I am always inspired when I go gallery hopping and see so many exceptionally beautiful paintings. It always seems to point out a different way of looking at a subject or technique that I had not thought of, or forgotten – very refreshing. It has been so exciting to see all of the various styles of artwork on exhibit and wonderful feedback from chatting with gallery directors!!

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It is finally getting warmer here in Minnesota — hopefully the snow showers last weekend will stay away . I’ve had a little spring fever lately, so I have been dabbling in some plein air painting — painting in "open air". I am using the plein air as an exercise in color and sketching in paint quickly (as I just begin painting without drawing first).

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