first painting of 2014

Hello, fellow experiencers of the polar vortex (and anyone else who may be fortunate enough to be far from this crazy weather pattern)!

I've been away from work for the second day now.  The forced vacation has allowed me some creative time I wasn't expecting.  I've been working on a mixed media project for a few weeks that hasn't been developing in a way that feels right to me, so I put it aside yesterday, and started this painting.

Colors and shapes and patterns!  And a bird!  Concentric circles and flowers!  This makes me happy.

One of my ideas for 2014, though it is not novel by any means, is to post at least one new piece of art/craft/creativity per week here.  This one is the first.  It doesn't mean I'm going to hold myself to making one new thing a week.  It just means I'll need to work ahead for those weeks when life/work/creative slumps get in the way.

And now it's back to the painting table.  I wish you safety and warmth.