Decking the Halls

"Purple Mountain Majesty" from Arizona

I am alive.

This morning I received an email from my cousin, checking in to make sure that I hadn't fallen in a sink hole or something. He's a regular reader of my blog and a week's worth of silence was too much. That may be true for some of the rest of you.

"Harbor Side Happy Hour" from Hilton Head, SC's Shelter Cove

While the week has passed with some painting getting accomplished -- the stuff I usually blog about, I've been relatively adventure-free -- the other stuff that fills these posts. Time has been spent decking the halls of our home with artwork and Christmas cheer -- well ahead of the holiday. I rethink where to hang each piece of art -- which is a bit nuts. Well, maybe not just a bit. But, I try to surround each room and nook with something to see and enjoy.

"Pie in the Sky Pizzeria" from Wayne, PA

Even though art adventures aren't happening right this moment, hanging the work has left me with the impression that it's been a heck of a year. Whether scenes away from home -- views from the shower in NYC; Hilton Head cafes; a week of plein air paintings from Wayne, Pennsylvania; or capturing the pastel colors of the Arizona desert -- or closer by -- from nearby farms and urban spots like Herndon and the Reston Town Center, each image on canvas evokes memories as immediate as today.

"Town Center Fountain" from the Reston Town Center

I did want to catch up some with tonight's post. I wrote the beginning of it earlier today. Then, at dinner tonight, I found out it is Friday, not Thursday. I'm on a deadline. It's a little disconcerting to have suddenly lost a day. Where'd it go? Who found it?

Hopefully, I'll post again before too long.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project
Email
Phone: 703.403.7435

Events and Exhibits

"Large Squares, Small Squares," Gallery at the Artists' Atelier, November 14-December 31. Opening Reception: Friday, November 16, 6:30-8:30pm. Open Hours: Wednesdays and Saturdays, noon to 4pm, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA 22066

October 2 through November 30, Greenberry's Coffee & Tea, 6839 Redmond Drive, McLean, VA. Solo show of seven oil paintings celebrating coffee, friends and family and food.