I am making good progress on two paintings. The one below is unfolding at home -- acrylic on canvas, dark jewel tones in the background with warm orange and yellow tints on the ribbons in the foreground. The white that you see is bare canvas. I hope to have this finished in a week. I'll post a better quality photo of the final piece -- the shot below is pretty bad.

I'm working on another painting in the studio -- oil on canvas, a nude seated with her legs and arms crisscrossed and angular. Using a similar palette as the one above: orange, blues, yellow-greens. This painting will take a month to complete.

Today I took an early morning walk with my son and the dogs...

E found some ice to slide around on...

I found some ice to take photos of...

No photos from last night...
J and I got together with friends to celebrate M's birthday. It was a surprise party at an Irish pub (and he actually was surprised!) Alas, we couldn't stay very long -- we had a babysitter to relieve -- but it reminded us of all the people we need to reconnect with. I'm looking forward to that. :-)

I am jumping on the band wagon to add to the 5,810,000 blog entries on the web that contain the words "New Year's Resolution" in them. Like so many other fellow bloggers, I am resolving to keep up with my blog this year. Last year I primarily wrote about plays Jim and I saw but I think I'll expand the entries to contain more "day in the life of" vignettes. I also plan on taking more photos and creating more sketches this year which I will share from time to time. I have other resolutions: no more sugar in my coffee, take more hikes with the dogs/kids, get back to painting, find an ongoing volunteer opportunity and take a power-woman-all-for-me trip alone (to some place I have yet to figure out.)

2008 is going to be a great year. Elliot is starting at a new private school that his Dad and I feel very good about. We think that the school's teaching style is well suited for him and that he'll really excel there. I'm learning that I need to be a little tougher with Elliot than comes naturally but I have been adapting and he seems to be responding well. Shay is in research mode for costuming work that she will be doing for Redmond High School Drama's production of Midsummer Night's Dream. It should be an exciting project for her and a good portfolio builder. Jim and I are settling in quite nicely. He and I are very different in many ways but our differences compliment each other well. We're learning a lot and I feel really good about where we're heading.

As I think ahead I can't help but look back. In 2007 I reached a new, very satisfying level in my artistic pursuits. For perhaps the first time, the paint brush became an extension of my arm, I mixed colors intuitively, and the things I imagined in my mind's eye would appear on canvas roughly the way I wanted them to. Another highlight of 2007 was when Jim whisked me off to Europe. We saw old and new sights, fantastic art and ate yummy, yummy food. The best part was learning that Jim and I travel well together which is a pretty good gauge for any relationship. That trip marked an important turning point. Shortly afterward we met each other's families in far off locations and celebrated his 50th birthday with an un-surprise party that was moving and entertaining all at once. In the fall, I shifted gears in my career and left a Project Management position with a design studio (fun, crazy, salesy, intense work) and took software design contract back at the big M working with a team who is full of funny, smart people. (How many teams eat lunch together everyday? It is such a great group - I really lucked out.)

Now that I feel caught up, here is a brief entry about New Year's Eve:

Jim and I saw the Seattle Symphony perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and it was absolutely lovely. Gorgeous singer's voices filled the hall. It was the perfect way to ring in a new year that promises to be full of much joy.