,

“Surprise Visitor” 4×4, oil on canvas

The tufted titmouse. When I first started getting them in my yard in Covington I was elated. I’d never seen one up close before, and by sheer luck of whatever seed I’d picked at the gardening store down the road, there they were. Like magic or a happy accident. 

Today’s painting is done exclusively with a brush. There’s a real softness to it that I enjoy even though my best advice has been to “relax,” and I’m saying it over and over to the part of me that is having an identity crisis over not having picked up a palette knife at all. There’s room at the supply table for all.