Am I a book girl. Yes. Is this a self portrait? Not intentionally. But it is a result of using up a juicy palette when the well had run dry. The creative equivalent of all dressed up and nowhere to go! And who likes to waste paint? I flipped through some art books, found something way over my head that I couldn’t possible replicate and didn’t feel attached to…and winged it. Winging with a visual road map works for me. I have an affinity for portraits but don’t do them very often because…great question. Why? Because I am too self conscious, they are too vulnerable, awkward, I feel exposed, I could go on but the original statement remains, when I feel flat or need to recharge the battery, one of the first things that comes to mind (truth alert: I don’t always DO this, but I THINK it!!) is portrait painting. And this time I did it. I hesitated posting it because…more pause dots. More dots meaning, why don’t I want to share it? Who are these women, these faces, bodies, personalities? I have hundreds of them in journals, canvases, half finished, doodles, acrylics, oil, collage, they pop up over and over and over. I rarely finish them, they are underneath many of paintings, the under paintings that don’t see the light. I guess it doesn’t matter who they are or what they represent, it is simply a reminder that I paint or write or create what juices me up that moment. Someone once said to me, when I asked “what should I write about, I don’t know where to start, there’s too much! And the response was, whatever excites you or ignites you this very second. I’m cool with that answer. Book girl. Portraits. Women with stories and a quiet knowing. That excites and ignites me this very moment. xo