As we've suddenly been thrown into a chaotic situation, we've all had to make some pretty severe changes to our lives.  All of my spring semester classes have been cancelled and I've been forced into recording my lectures online and working remotely.  It's incredibly frustrating and not at all the way that teaching and learning should be done.  But what are we to do?
  All this makes me think about is when I was teaching high school last year and we had a school day that was cancelled early because of a problem with the school wifi.  The wifi wasn't working so we couldn't have school.  This was a very disturbing event to me because from the time I graduated (2009) to when I was teaching high school (2018), a radical shift had taken place.  We are now completely reliant on these digital systems and if they don't work properly (which happens quite often) then we are completely screwed.
  Technology has always been a tool to help us, but it's feeling more and more that digital connections are less like a helpful tool and more like a necessary tool.  I'm venting my frustration using my personal website here, which of course is a product of these advancements, but I'm just as happy writing in my journal, which runs on ink and not on electricity.  I'll be always be sharing art and ideas online and I hope everyone out there is (and remains) healthy.  

  Just found out some sad news that a friend of mine passed away.  I hadn't contacted her in a while and I'm kicking myself that I didn't contact her sooner.  I just kept putting it off.  Call that person you've been meaning to call and do that thing you've been meaning to do.  I'll remember the good times with you Sheila <3

  I was doing some painting last night and I realized again how much I love painting various textures.  The most amazing part of oil paint is the ability to transform one material into another, exactly like alchemy.
 The painting was all alla prima and took me about 3 hours to complete.  I'm a fast painter, but that was even fast for me to complete a painting.  I recently made a deal with myself that I will never rush a painting, if I feel like I'm rushing I put my brushes down and walk away; since this painting progressed from beginning to end, I didn't feel the need to walk away.  I feel like the speed also helps me because I don't end up overthinking areas and going back and muddling them up.
 It was also really fun to paint because I was really inspired by the color of the rum and the orange reflections that are created with light passing through the bottle.  Even though this painting only took a few hours, I was totally immersed and focused the entire time.  I've come to realize that the question of "how long did that take" is not an accurate reflection of the skill or quality of the painting.  
  Handling the smaller details such as the label on the bottle or the cap of the bottle was the only area where I used a smaller brush.  For those details I like to use small synthetic watercolor brushes, but the rest of it is larger bristle brushes.  And the details are actually pretty abstract when you see the painting close up.  I'm not sure if it's my own speed or laziness, but I always painted details in a shorthand sort of way.  I like suggesting a bit of detail, but I don't like laborious painting because it makes the painting feel lifeless in my opinion.  I feel like I captured a sense of space with this one and the light and textures are as accurate as I could make them.  Stay tuned for more soon!

  I started a self portrait today and an important thing that I need to remember moving forwards: Always simplify the values in the beginning stages.  Detail doesn't matter if the overall value structure is wrong.  Have a nice weekend everyone!