after van gogh's 'head of a woman' ~ gouache in stillman and birn 'beta', 3 1/2" x 5 1/2"

my friends, i feel like i need to put up a post that officially lays this blog to rest, at least for the time being. 

i'm still painting, still loving painting...  a few weeks ago i took mary ann moss's 'Oh My Gouache!' class, which got me painting with gouache as much as transparent watercolors.  hey, did you know that you can buy a set of 18 (5 ml) tubes of holbein gouache for about $38 on amazon?  it's true!  if you've been thinking you'd like to try gouache (or take mary ann's class) but can't afford it, this set may be for you...  : )

mt. shasta from the pacific crest trail

a couple of pics from the summer that make me smile big...

golden-mantled ground squirrel

i hope this finds you well and painting.  i'm still posting on instagram more or less regularly (lynne.hoppe). happily, i do see many of you there... 

* * * 

 The great majority of artists are throwing 

themselves in with life-preservers around their necks, 

and more often than not it is the life-preserver 

which sinks them. 

~ Henry Miller, quoted in 'Life, Paint and Passion' by Michele Cassou and Stewart Cubley