A book I recently read and loved is called “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke. It’s a mystery with a magical setting—a labyrinth of halls with thousands of statues. I originally wanted to paint one of the statues (if you read the book you can guess which one).

I love being outside but when it comes to painting outside, I always made excuses not to do it—bugs in my paint, too windy, too cold, too hot, you name it. So my New Year’s resolution was to get outside and paint or draw weekly.

The dragonflies appeared around the creek in May. I fell in love with their flight and sparkling colors, and was inspired enough to start drawing them and include them in a painting.

I’ve wanted to make my art process more playful and imaginative. So, I’m exploring a new medium—acrylic and charcoal—because it’s easier to make changes in these media than in oil. I’m willing to make changes during the painting process and be surprised by the outcome.