I will not tell you how long those paint swatches have been on the wall of our second floor hall. All those blues and greens that I love so much.

Perhaps I should paint palm trees like Curious George did, as pictured in this print I just happen to own. But I think I'm going to go with a crisp white. Not linen or oyster or French vanilla. Greek white. Swedish white. My house is full of color and too much stuff. It's time to simplify.

So I probably shouldn't have bought another coffee table book. I couldn't resist Bringing Nature Home, Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature. You can read about it here.

mucking around

You may remember a while back I was experimenting with mixed media. The first few were pretty awful. But I liked this one.

I put it on my mantel to see if it was something I would want to look at on a regular basis.

I did, so I decided to make some more. Here are two of them. You can get a better look at them if you click on the pictures.

 I added pine needles to this one.

 Paint, an old fox picture, a vintage map of Canada, string and seeds.

It's an utterly absorbing process. Like taking a long walk or swimming. Maybe it's a bridge to painting, or maybe it just is what it is.

winter art

                 farm scene, recently purchased at auction

More and more I find myself wanting to completely cover the store walls with vintage art. I've been collecting store inspiration pictures on pinterest--look how many of them show that very thing.

                                       portrait, recently purchased at auction

Though we have had little snow this year it is bleak and cold. I want to linger in museums, study my art books, and take out my paints. I was a studio art major in college, and painted for pleasure occasionally after, but I never took myself seriously as a visual artist. Two winters ago I took it up again for a season, and now once more I find myself wanting to lose myself in color and form and inner landscapes.

I am going to the store less--there is very little business in the winter, and I need a break from the long drive. So for the next few months it will only be open Saturdays (except for holiday weekends) and I will probably go up every third week. For now, my weekends are better spent reading, visiting museums, and, for at least one more Sunday, watching football.

silver pine and the perfect job

You've probably caught on that I like the color green.

This little chest of drawers is knotty pine. I thought about leaving it unpainted (sorry, no before picture) for a nice retro cabin look, but it was pretty scratched up. So I painted it this lovely green, called Silver Pine (Benjamin Moore). Sorry about the weird angle--there's a column in the way.

See the column?

Anyway, I've decided that I want the job of naming colors for a big paint company. That would be perfect for me. Words and colors, all day long. As long as I didn't have to sit at a desk. I'd write in the contract that I could work anywhere I wanted to--under a tree, for example. In a museum. On a cross-country train trip.

What's a perfect job for you?