Since we are in the middle of a pandemic and everybody is socially isolating I have, for some strange reason, been motivated to do some painting…that is more painting than my normal snail’s pace. It might have something to do with my wife being here at home since her company went on lock down and laid everyone off temporarily. I don’t have to cook and eat my own cooking right now. Plus…Well, we won’t go there but I must admit it is nice to have her back here doing what Juvy does. She still stays up way too late at night and sleeps half the day, but I really think that is in her DNA, being from the Philippines.

At any rate, I have managed to almost complete the second of a pair of portraits I was commissioned to do. They are small (16 x 20) but I’ve never really enjoyed doing commissioned portraits of people because I stress out over not getting them perfect. Then there is always that one person who wants to look better than they really look and expects me as the artist to make it so. Portrait artists in general accept that, and generally try to accommodate the client but it bugs the hell out of me and I find myself just not being “in the groove” as I paint them, making the job a chore rather than relaxing and fun. But that’s just me.

Now that the 2nd portrait is just about finished, I can relax a bit…so I went ahead and started the third bird painting in my series of four. It is an image of a Goldfinch.