Oh my goodness! It is so hot outside. And I am one that LOVES the summertime. I love being outside in bare feet and tank tops - whether that's a great fashion decision or not for me I really don't care. I love it. But right now - oh wow - it's too hot. It's the dangerous kind of hot. This afternoon we caught a short break on the back porch with the thunder rolling in the background and a hurricane-type breeze blowing cooling us off. You know the one I'm talking about, right? It's the one when the skies start getting dark, and the winds start up just at the first bands are coming in and you think it's probably the only good part of a hurricane. But, at the end of July you take what you can get. No, there's no hurricane out there right now so we can just relax (at least until August).

You know I love painting outside but right now, only the crazy ones are going out there. You know who you are. I'm too hot to be crazy. So, I'm staying indoors for now. I've got a few portraits I've been working on and new portrait commissions I'm getting ready to start so this is a great excuse for me to stay in the studio.

I had started a portrait of my father back in late spring and it's finally finished - well, except for those little bits that you go back to once you've let it sit for a month or two - if you decide to let it sit. I brought it over to my parents last weekend and I think it's a keeper. Well, I THINK it's a keeper. It's hard to tell with my daddy. I've been wanting to paint my daddy for awhile now. I took several photos of him and settled on this one. Mama has already decided on a spot in the living room for it. But, please note, it will NOT be the center of attention. Mama said we don't want him to get an inflated ego or something like that! Hah!

I also started a couple of smaller portraits on the back porch while up at the lake and those are percolating right now. I started a new one last week and will start another larger one this week. Looks like I'll be in the studio for a bit longer. Thank goodness.

Well, I've updated my calendar for the rest of the year and it looks like it's going to be a fun and busy five months to Christmas. I've updated my website with all the upcoming art shows, markets, and other events with the dates and locations where you'll be able to find me when I'm not painting in the studio. 

Without the artist - without the creatives in this world -  there is no art. But we don't create art just for ourselves, we create it for everyone - we create it for you.

​Much love, my peeps!