In between the holidays and my adventures in Asia, I’ve been busy painting in the studio and playing around with some new ideas. I wanted to see if I could recreate the texture on birch and aspen trees by working with really thick oil paint. Pushing and pulling the paint around, sometimes even 1/4 of an inch thick, with the palette knife is not only a lot of fun but is also reproducing the texture I wanted. Here is one of the first pieces I’ve completed and a close-up on the texture. I’d love to hear your feedback.

We have just returned from our Asian adventure, with a lifetimes worth of stories. Much to our chagrin, we arrived in Tokyo for New Year’s, only to find it closed. Unfortunately we scheduled our trip for the only time of year that the Japanese close everything for the holidays. Undaunted, we pressed on and were able to visit many interesting temples and sample a wide variety of local cuisine, from Soba noodles to delicious fresh sushi.

Our next leg of the adventure brought us to Guilin, China, which is 15 hours northwest of Hong Kong to an area that has been depicted in Chinese art for centuries. The unusual Karst mountain formations rose and disappeared in the mist, making them not only beautiful but also quite eerie.

Lastly, we ended our trip in Bangkok, Thailand and some much needed R&R on the beaches near Phuket. Being a nature lover, the Krabi beaches were definitely my favorite part of the journey. Beautiful coves surrounded crystal clear turquoise waters, gorgeous rock outcroppings and lazy days made for a perfect end to the vacation. Now, I can’t wait to get started painting some of the amazing scenery and share my creations with you.

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I might start posting blog stuff soon!