Hooo-eeee, I have lost my work ethic, gotten lazy, filled my life with other things, something. . . I used to work full-time as an artist. Now I just piddle around. It’s a relaxed and flexible way to live.

Why am I doing this? Because I don’t have any commissions, upcoming art shows or boutiques, not making a calendar this year, my retailers are well-stocked, and I don’t want to build up too much inventory unnecessarily.

Much potential productive time was spent on the phone recently, trying to figure out what was wrong with my blog and then how to find more space on the laptop. There was a trip to Gilroy. A spot of car trouble robbed me of a day. The cabin is not closed for the year yet.

So, why not just paint what I feel like painting? That’s a good idea, and I did a little bit of that.

First, I evaluated this barn painting, trying to figure out why I don’t like it. Finally concluded that there was too much sky. Too much sky?? What is that about? I love blue, but maybe the balance was wrong.

I like it now.

Occasionally I read a blog called A Housewife Writes. A month or two ago, there was a great photo of a rooster on the blog, and the blogger gave me permission to paint from it.

Because I have nothing pressing right now, it seemed like the right time to paint something because I want to paint it, not because I think it might sell. It could sell, but my expectations aren’t super high.

I drew it in pencil first. That’s not my normal procedure, but I like to do things differently from time to time.

Maybe I’ll be able to finish this in just two layers. Or maybe I’ll enjoy the process so much that I continue to layer, tighten the detail, and perfect the image.