I’ve heard from several of my blog readers that they enjoy my Four Things series and it’s given them ideas for how to share on their own blogs or social media or even just in their personal records.  I’m so glad to hear that!  I always hope my blog posts will be a jumping-off point for the creative work (and hobbies) of those who read it.

For those who have been waiting for my next original art sale, it will be happening next Friday, January 24, 2025.  I’ll post a preview with more details, available works, sizes, and prices on Monday.

So, here are my four things…

what I’m reading

I’ve been researching the history of record keeping for the past few months and, believe it or not, it has been a fascinating subject that has led me down more rabbit holes and to more books.  I’ve been reading about journals, diaries, letters, sketchbooks, commonplace notebooks, and herbariums.  I started pressing and preserving plants and flowers from my garden this summer and I didn’t even know what I was doing was keeping a herbarium.  Now, I’ve been studying this whole world of classifying and recording plants.  My favorite book on the subject so far has been Herbarium, written by Barbara M Thiers, the daughter of the founder and curator of the herbarium at San Francisco State University.  Her childhood instilled a love and passion for preserving and classifying plants.

Herbarium: The Quest to Preserve & Classify the World’s Plants

There are so many beautiful photos of herbariums and, in recent centuries, how people have preserved and imported plant specimens from around the world.  It’s fascinating looking at sepia photos of massive crates full of pressed plants, flowers, leaves, and herbs.

I feel so strongly that our generation is losing the art of record-keeping and preserving our world and how we see it in ways other than snapshots, texts, and social media posts.  That technology makes information easy to share and instant, but it also cheapens it a bit.  Instead of a carefully pressed plant, dried over several days or weeks, and meticulously mounted, we have quick cell phone pics, 280 characters, and a feed that’s scrolled through in seconds.

Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox, but I’ve been thinking a lot about record-keeping and this book has been a part of that mulling.

what I’m watching

Jeff and I rewatched the HBO series Chernobyl a couple of weeks ago and it really is one of the best series ever made.  Of course, it’s a dramatic story (it’s hard to get more dramatic than the core of a nuclear power plant exploding), but it’s exceptionally well written, acted, and made.  The characters are nuanced and they do a beautiful job celebrating the resourcefulness and determination of the Russian people despite an oppressive communist government.

It shares lessons we can learn from this disaster without preaching, teaches about nuclear energy without being boring, and humanizes the tragedy and subsequent clean-up.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

what I’m loving

“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”  Mary Oliver

I read this last week and wrote it down in my collection of notes and quotes.  While I don’t think attention always leads to devotion, devotion starts with giving our attention.  It’s an eloquent reminder to pay attention to what we pay attention to.

what I’m working on

I’ve been pushing to finish commissioned paintings for clients who requested them over a year ago!  This is the downside to pursuing a variety of creative endeavors.  Sometimes I start chasing one and neglect another.  Honestly, I took on too many at one time and then got overwhelmed and way behind!  Anyway, I’m all caught up now and am a little wiser about how many I take on at a time.  I’ve learned pet portraits could keep me busy as long as the day is long and I need to set limits or it’s all I’ll do!

Here are two of my recent pet portraits…

Thanks for all of the love for my latest project announcement.  If you missed it, you can catch up HERE.