Merry Festivus and Happy New Year everybody! I hope you survived the holidays, traveled safe, got what you wanted/needed/deserved, made the appropriate resolutions, dropped them by Jan. 3 and resumed normalcy by Epiphany. I have to admit, I hated to see Sausage Ball Season go by so quickly.
In the studio, I've welcomed the new year with an abundance of activity. I just finished a couple of commissioned works, and have put the finishing touches on a long-planned, even-longer-executed painting of one of my favorite fish -- the Maori Wrasse.
Outside, the weather has been all over the place. A typical week has featured a day or so of really cold air, followed by howling south winds and unseasonably warm days. We've had snow, and we've had hail. The only constant has been the rain. Lots and lots of rain. As a result, the rivers are blown out and the lakes are murky and full of debris. I haven't been fishing, but from those I've talked with, it's been predictably tough.
But, that's allowing me to stay focused on the studio, where I hope to complete several works in advance of spring and summer. In the meantime, I fish vicariously through DVR'd fishing shows (Spanish Fly, Hunt for Big Fish and Sportfish TV are my faves), clean and prep tackle for the spring and make lists of fish I'd like to pursue in the coming months. Stay tuned. It's gonna be a great year.
