The past week was an unusually busy one, and while I always make sure Ginty and I get out for at least a short walk, it had been six days since we'd had a real trail walk. We finally made it out this morning - a little over seven miles in four and a half hours. It was wonderful.

At one point

When I go out on the trails, I always keep my eyes open for interesting things, and sometimes those things seem to come in groups.

Today I happened upon two different dead rodents, which was notable because I don't always find dead things at all, and to discover two of a kind in one walk seemed almost comic. Both were right alongside the trail, not even tucked into the grass. First was a tiny field mouse, exactly the kind you might imagine as the hero of a children's book. It was a little sad, and even Ginty had the decency to just sniff it and move respectfully along. Later, on one of the single tracks,

Next Saturday I'll be a featured artist at the Intersections: Arts & Faith Conference in Folsom. The theme for the day is Honest Art, and I'll be talking about many of the ideas and stories that fuel my vision and my work. In preparation, I've been trying to get some of those things down in a coherent way, and I'm even considering putting together a more formal presentation of it all. But that's a topic for another day.

On the subject of honesty, though, some days are just tough.

In my studio, you will find a lot of the same things you might find in any artist's studio. Paints, brushes, collage materials and adhesives, substrates like paper and wood panels, all the tools of the trade. I've also got a small photo soft box, essentially a white fabric cube that diffuses light, with a studio light overhead, for photographing my small still life images.

A lot of artists are introverts, thriving on deep thinking, self-motivation, and comfort in solitude. And while those are all strong traits of mine as well, I am really an extrovert, and I love a good party with a lot of people around. That’s one of the reasons that I am hosting another Open Studio & Garden Party and including three of my artist friends to join me for the day.