I decided to start my studio time by doing a little painting from life yesterday. First painting of the new year- try something fresh, something I don't do very often. I anticipated that it would be fairly easy and that the painting would be lovely- BIG MISTAKE.

It was hard, things didn't fall into place easily and I felt a growing sense of despair as I kept slogging along. I am struck by how easy it is to get complacent about my skills as an artist. I can see that I need to do some homework and focus in on learning again, rather than just producing work for the galleries.

I think every year at this time, I go through a crisis of faith. A chance to evaluate where I am in my work and where I want to be. This year, I want to see growth. If that's the case, I need to do the hard stuff, work through the challenges and see where it takes me.

I hope this year is a great one for all my creative friends. May we all keep growing and learning and never forget how blessed we are to do this wonderful, frustrating, rewarding thing called painting. Happy New Year to you all!