Cover "Sweeper"

This was the cover image for Richard Vosa's short story, "The Sweeper".

I did the pencil sketch, wasn't thrilled with it, started to putter with the same image in pastels, was even less thrilled, went back and scanned the pencils and erased most of it, just using shapes and colors in Photoshop.

Alternative Cover Picture

Pastels. I wanted to see how the idea for the cover image would pan out in pastels. I dunno ... I think I like it in pastels better.

Wreath

I've kept forgetting to include this one.

Our grape vine was trying to take over our neighbor's Japanese maple, so Bernie cut the two-inch trunk off at the ground, and we began yanking the yards and yards of vine out of the trees.

On a whim I wrapped and tangled the green vine around itself in a round shape, thinking I could use the dried framework for a Christmas wreath of greens.

However, later on I realized it was too big for a frame for a wreath for the door, and just left the poor strands parked up against the house through the rest of autumn.

Fortunate forgetfulness! The resulting lovely now graces a tall wall in my living room.

Color!

I spent several days working on this pastel.

At 12" x 18" inches, it's one of my larger pieces lately.  Originally, I was just going to do some stripes of color, but then Alex saw it and began to exclaim over it (I know she means well, but when it comes to artwork, that kind of drives me nuts with performance anxiety) and so I continued on to fill the whole sheet.

Humidity has been high, as you can see by the slight puckering of the paper.

Now, what is it supposed to be? Stripes of color, that's all.  Gobs of color.  I suppose you could gaze at it and at times imagine a lake and mountain scene,  at others a sunset ... just colors is good enough.
What I have thought about is that although I worked it as a horizontal piece, it might be more interesting to rotate it 90 degrees.

Is it a cityscape on Mercury? Canyons seen through infrared?

Cover Art Again

I guess this was the latest effort. The multiple gradients in the back were interesting play in Photoshop.

This one accompanied Dan Mulhollen's story, "Something I Forgot" in the Piker Press.

Editing

This past week has been taken up with editing "Transitions."

Well, until Friday, that is. On Friday I succumbed to my granddaughter's latest viral introduction, and have been out for the count ever since. The last one started the New Year off with a hack; my cough was done for ONE DAMN DAY before this pinched-nerve crap started.

How timely that the next virus hit THE VERY DAY that I completed physical therapy for the pinched nerve. I'm really pretty fed up with fate.

"Transitions" is coming along all right. It's not a great story, by any means, but it feels good to write it, and spend time with the characters.