I've been painting up a storm lately and I'm frustrated that I can't post all of my images on Windows Live Spaces. The site's code of conduct doesn't permit me to post artwork with nude figures which comprises the majority of my work. You can read my story here if you're interested or go to the homepage of my new blog at robintroy.typepad.com to see my latest work.

I also ported over some of my old Spaces blog entries that dealt with fine art. As I dug back into my old Spaces posts, I noticed that there are some missing images. Some are missing because I was told to delete them but others seem to have vanished from Spaces' servers due to a technical glitch. You get what you pay for, folks.

See you at typepad.
RT

J and I headed into this weekend thinking that we were going to need to be nursed back into health by my 17 and 8 year old kids. We felt like we were coming down with something vile but felt fine by Sunday. That ended up being a great day. In the morning, Elliot and I headed out for our weekend ritual. (Pix above.) At the end of our hike, he and I raced back to the house. As far as he knew it was a game (that made my heart feel like it was going to burst!!) but it was really because his sister had called me from a gas station -- her car was on e and she needed some $ on her debit card. Oy!

Later J and I took our first scooter ride of 2008. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhh..... gad! that is so much fun! It was a beautiful, sunny, crisp day. We headed toward downtown Bellevue and found some twisty-turny roads with skylines in one direction, and water views in the other. Gorgeous. Stumbled upon some parks that I want to go back to with E (if I can find them again.) Those rich people know how to build their parks! The thing about tooling around on two wheels: you are completely immersed in the environment. I smelled flowers. Flowers! Spring is near. And there were a ton of people out walking and they were ALL smiling. (I love when folks on the street talk to me -- "that looks like fun!" is a common comment.) It's impossible to feel anything but happy when you're driving a Vespa. (Trust me: Flush your Prozac and buy a scooter or motorcycle instead.)

We topped off the evening off with a lovely dinner: beef stroganoff with asparagus, rosemary bread and red wine. Lovely, yes -- but it wasn't without drama. A potholder caught fire while I was browning the beef. Flames, back door thrust open, once trusted but now reviled implement hurled into the cold darkness... this *is* excitement in the 'burbs, my friend! Whew!

(And the Google search hits keep coming...)

I'm only a few hours in to this painting so its pretty rough but I like where its going:

The background needs to change dramatically. The figures and bike are coming along nicely and will just keep getting more refined.

I made more progress on my ribbon painting on Saturday. I could work on this for an eternity but I think I'll clean up the edges, add some more depth to some colors and then abandon it so that I can move on to the next incarnation. I'd like to tackle another one but make a change in my approach. I am going to start the next one with no under-drawing. Instead of planning out the design in advance, I'd like to see what emerges if I paint one ribbon at a time and see where it takes me. It's riskier but could have a bigger pay off (such is life, eh?)

When it's complete I'll write about the inspiration for the piece and the reason I am pursuing this particular exploration.

Hopefully I'll have another start of a painting to post later today. I'm starting a new piece as an assignment for a painting class I'm taking. I have been studying with Barbara Fugate for some time now and she offered me and another long time student some additional mentorship. She is giving us assignments to work on outside of class and will be giving us feedback along the way. Today's assignment: "What is Red?" Stay tuned...

I'm taking a tip from Jim's crossword blog and using a title for this entry that is sure to increase my hits on Google! It's not all a ruse. Read on...

I've been a little concerned about my weight lately, so in addition to working out, I added a long walk to my routine every Saturday morning. It's great to get out and hike the local trails with my dogs. On the weekends that my son is with me, he is always enthusiastic to join me. Our conversations seem to be more meaningful when we're outside with fewer distractions. It's the perfect time to get to know him even more deeply and reflect back what I learn. We laugh a lot. We pause often to listen to the relative silence of nature together: a stream, a bird or nothing at all.

I always bring my camera. I really think cameras should be required equipment for Zen practitioners. Forget mediation pillows, nothing keeps me in the moment more than having my camera slung over my shoulder. It heightens my awareness of my surroundings, fine tunes my eyes and engages that place in my brain that is wired to seek and find.

Without my camera (and especially on walks when I am alone) I have a hard time not plotting, planning, worrying, regretting, yearning and dreaming. That last one is probably okay but the others can really bring me down. When I find myself being drawn into those dark places, it's such an uplifting feeling to snap myself out of it and start the visual hunt again.

For me this is the perfect weight loss plan: long walks in search of beauty. I could call it the "Best Weight Loss Plan in Many Easy Steps."