Amazing Color Everywhere

It's a windy day here in South Dakota and the Missouri River appears to have whitecaps, reminding me of my earlier life on the west coast of Florida!  Since coming to South Dakota five years ago, I have been continually amazed by the color in the landscape--in the grasses and weeds, the trees and fields.  I think that people probably view Florida as being very colorful, but I still maintain that I have never seen so much color in the landscape as there is here...no matter what the season!  I find it delightful and now, when I see the softest green glowing on the trees set against the blue cast of the bluffs of Nebraska across the river, it's so beautiful it almost breaks my heart!

Just finishing up a couple pieces in the studio and will post them in a couple of days in my shop: www.etsy.com/shop/missouribendstudio

Here's a quickie shot of one of the
workspaces in the studio I took
this afternoon...

Thanks for looking!

Inside Out vs. Outside In

The day was spent in the garden beds and in the yard...clearing away dead leaves and other debris to reveal the new growth of plants about to shoot for the sky.  Everything changes visibly day by day and growth is happening now at great speed with all the sunshine and warm temperatures.  It was a break from the studio and a reminder to trust my own creative practice, which for me, happens from the inside out.  Many people, and often I wish I was one of them, are able to work from source material outside of themselves.  But, the only way things seem to work for me in the studio is to work intuitively, from the inside out.  The experience of my day, with my hands in the earth, will filter through my being and will come out in unexpected ways in the work.  I'm ready to get back to it!