Cleaning out the kitchen last night, I stumbled across these artist trading cards that Jane painted last October. Using her own photos as reference, she used watercolors to render small snapshots of a trip that she and Fatty took to San Francisco over her fall break.  I find them completely charming and delightful - I think I will have them framed as a little memento for her. And I just love, love, love that she always finds a way to express herself creatively. She inspires me to continue my own painting practice and now I am itching to get to the studio later today. (Friday is painting day!!!!)

Finding these cards was perfect timing. One of my readers, Rose, has an active group of kids (ages 4 to 14) that swap artist trading cards like these. I told her that I would help her spread the word. I remember just how much fun my girls had when Blair and I hosted the kids atc swap six (!!!) years ago. If you think this is something you and your children would be interested in, you can find more information in Rose's group on Facebook.

Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday was my first day back at painting in nine months. I knew I missed it, but until I picked up a brush and dropped blobs of oils on the palette, I didn't realize how much. I hesitated when I started mixing the first color, but in just a few minutes it all came back to me. I jumped in without thinking too hard and before long, I was in a groove. Three hours later, I had a painting. When I finished, I looked at my instructor and said, "That felt so good!"