New paintings, hot off the easel, and some thoughts on art and life ...

I've been putting this off for a long time, but I really needed some new photos, so recently I called in a pro. Not to take photos of my artwork - that part is easier and I keep up with the task. I'm talking about photos of me, my garden and my studio.

My choice for a photographer was Nick Otto, whose beautiful work is on his website. Nick showed up bright and early to take photos of me in my garden. Morning light is best in the garden, so we started there and I think he was enchanted with the effects of sunlight filtering through the trees and touching everything with gold, whether it was a rose or a daisy or my hair. We moved into the studio next, and he took photos while I painted. Or tried to paint, anyway. It's pretty distracting to have a photographer hovering around your palette.

I'll be using many of these photos on my website and social media so keep watching to see more. And if you need photos, I highly recommend Nick.