Three new reworks this week, all wood panel paintings. One, Lune above, got a revised title. It was a commission piece, which the client got a hand-embellished giclee of, and which meant it was a gig instead of being done for the joy of it. Joy is not a word I would attribute to it now, but for me it really sings. So does Professor, the middle piece, although he is the first of the birds that I see as sad. He was part of a series of white birds with vivid undertones I did in 2021 and I purposely left him in his undertone state to separate him from the rest of the group. He remained an interesting oddball until I gave him his white coat and inky background two days ago. Now he is my sad little beauty.

One might ask about this palette change. Both Professor and ABE, the eagle below, have taken on a distinct Rembrandt moody density of black against delicate whites - working exclusively with charcoal for the last six months has something to do with this. But honestly, looking back, all the vibrant, defiant color my work was known for had gotten a bit too predictable and easy. Hence the charcoal, which, as I rework the wood panel pieces, are about to be taken to a new level. But the new palette. It’s no secret the bird series started with Trump’s first inauguration and continued through Biden’s term because Trump, lurking and threatening, never went away. I kept painting happy colors as I traipsed back and forth to the UK to visit dear Paul. I even did charcoal pieces while I was there last fall. Then I started reworking some of the charcoals while sliding into the craft fair vortex. Now, as I’m settling back into my studio routine, the world as we know it has plunged into insanity.

Seriously, do you feel safe? Really? That said, with Lune, I’ve crossed out of Rembrandt mode into a full-blown Goya during the Napoleonic War phase. I think about him daubing those sepia and black nightmares directly onto the walls of his house - that terror and rage. I’m not there yet but I feel it coming. However, I have dates for my solo show at The Commons this spring and the aroma of fresh coffee to cheer me up, so, you know, onward.