A year's circle

Waves. Oil on stretched canvas, 20x20

The fireflies have come out in our back field again. Hundreds and hundreds of them flicker and light up the grass as dusk turns to night. And so I know that I have painted a year's worth of paintings, nearly one a day.

With the rather huge exception of my mother's not being here, this has been the best year of my life.

I want to thank all of you who have supported me in this adventure. It's been exhilarating, it's been fun - but it's been scary, exhausting and solitary. Knowing that old friends and new friends, and my few and dear family members are reading this blog and looking at my paintings has helped enormously. It has taken the edge off the terror, has given me energy and, surely, daily, helped me feel less alone.

All of your ideas and your comments have helped me, too. I have read each and every one, and treasured them all, positive and negative.

Those of you who have been moved enough by my art to buy it, you've made the sun shine in my life. There have been days this year when the very fact that you liked my paintings enough to buy them was the only thing that stopped me from giving up.

So I have painted through one year, and today, I stride with purpose, hope and optimism toward another. I look back and see some fine work, a lot of improvement, and plenty of room for more improvement.

And even on the days when my painting has not become what I would call "art," it has at least documented one of nature's moments, and the emotion of this solitary adventurer.

So, to all of you, thank you. I appreciate you more than I can say.