a year in color

Thankfully, the days are already getting longer. I am not a fan of the short days of winter. I live for the light. I am inspired by how it creates shadows, puts sparkles into people's eyes and glimmers off of the facets of stones. I like walking home and seeing the sun set over the marble and verdigris of Washington and waking up to morning dew that dries before my bare feet hit the ground. It is the time when I feel most compelled to draw and paint. When I take all of the inspiration I have collected during the winter months and put it to use. This winter I have gathered the sights of Florence and Rome, Van Gogh's earliest and last works, Sargent's Alhambra watercolors and his portraits of pomegranates and De Nittis' impressions of Paris. I have been entranced by antique French jacquards from the 19th century, Sonia Delaunay's notebooks, my ten year old nephew's drawings of Nike sneakers, and always, always, fountain pens old and new gliding across the page.