"Froggy Serenade" -- oil on canvas -- 36x36" -- Margie Guyot

I just finished this one today, so there was a bit of glare when I photographed it in my studio. It was a lot of fun to do! I'm always kind of sad to see them come to an end. If you've just tuned in to this blog, take a peek at the past few entries and you'll see a daily progression of this painting.

What next? That's always tough. Setting up a new still life is about as hard as trying to paint it. After snapping this photo, I put away all the props and folded the fabric. Tentatively I've laid a black & white asian-inspired fabric print on the table and fished a white ceramic duck soup tureen out of a box. After moving, it's a miracle I can find anything these days. It will probably take me several days of adding stuff to the new setup, removing, adding, subtracting -- until I end up with a view that I like. If I just marched out into my studio tomorrow morning and started painting, without having taken the time to get things "just right", the painting just wouldn't turn out.

I'd originally thought I was going to do a painting on the theme "bad back", since I'd been suffering last week with a bout of sciatica. I had a couple objects in my hand to use (a hornet's nest, for one), but I just couldn't feel inspired. The painting that ended up a reality was something bright & joyous. Joyous is what I feel about being up here, in my new home in NW Michigan! And I'm looking forward to hearing the froggies singing back in my swamp this spring.