Day 8, and there's a pause….

Whether it was the cold, or the freezing cold, last night I took a much needed break. My studio is in an old sleeping porch on the second floor, at the end of our very old New England house. It has lots of light, new triple insulated windows and one radiator to heat it.  I'll confess, I do use a portable heater to take the edge off when the temperatures are low, and that usually does the trick. Until yesterday.

The cold this week is a new experience altogether. With days of sub-zero temperatures, my lovely workspace was miserable and the warm fireplaces downstairs convinced me to take the night off.
I don't want to sound preachy, but getting a little break can be a very creative thing. 

Posted today is a house portrait I painted recently, commissioned as a Christmas present for the young woman who bought it. Working strictly from photos is tough, and had it not been located in Seattle I'd have probably driven by.  I was pretty happy with it, and discovered that I liked this blend of my architecture world and my painting world. The word is that the new homeowner shed a tear or two when she opened her present, which warms my heart. This week I'm all about the warmth.

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