Creative phases

I'm back!  I go through creative phases.  A dear friend recently had a birthday party where she asked all of her guests to create their version of a favorite painting of hers.  I did as instructed, and seriously wanted to take it home, but I did not, and below is the end result.

 

I love how it turned out.  I hadn't painted anything in quite a while, and this exercise got me thinking of painting yet again, and I was now obsessed with painting birds to boot.  Below is the painting I just finished for my very own self.  I love, love, love it.

It will eventually hang in my bedroom, but for now I am enjoying it in our living room.  I have recently acquired a 36x36 canvas for yet another painting, and lo and behold the subject is going to BIRDS, but painted in a very different style from my most recent work. 

Alas, I first need to buy paint, a lot of paint, and it is just not in my budget right now.  So, I am once again back to working on my beloved novel.  I originally split the book into three files for my ease.  The third part is what I need to work on, and I am really dreading the task, which also probably contributed to my painting jag.  It needs a lot of tender loving care.  The story moves way too fast.  I need to let it breathe and wander.