Beautiful pieces from ancient Babylon, Egypt, Rome and China seen at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City last weekend. They have an eclectic collection that reminds me of delightful hours spent at the Metropolitan Museum in New York as a child.

Claire ( working )and her brother Declan came to my studio to paint. I asked them to bring some of their work, shown above.We all had a great time and want to do it again soon !

Here they are together. I love them both !

Then I repeated the same painting on canvas- I haven't painted on canvas in years. It was much easier than painting on paper and the bounce effect adds a kinetic dimension to the process. Great fun .

This is the finished painting .

New brushes with longer handles have inspired an explosion of expressive energy ! I have no idea what the next one will look like but I had a great time painting this one. Onward !

A couple of works in progress in 16" by 20" format.The lower one is almost finished- the eye markings need some tweaking. The upper one needs a few more layers and detailing. I desperately need some new brushes.-- the old ones are splaying at the tip rendering them useless.

Open Studio was totally delightful- my friend Erin took this photo of me on Saturday. She came with a friend and did an excellent job of explaining my evolution as a painter. I wish I'd recorded her- it sounded so amazing. Friends came on Sunday too- it's wonderful to experience unpredictable pairing of people with similar interests. The greatest joy for me was receiving people into my usually solitary workplace. I'm looking forward to doing another one next year.

Yesterday I got the framed paintings up - I am so happy to finally have them up. The walls are made of pegboard and the nails just kept bouncing off. Luckily Todd from across the hall lent me his hammer and mini-ladder so that made everything easier.

Getting ready for show time ! Open Studio next weekend, Oct 15th and 16th from 11 am to 5 pm at 1258 Fitzgerald Ave in San Francisco. Please drop by my studio .

Painting of the Stargazer scorpionfish ( lower image ) was like probing a lunar lanscape; he reminds me of Charles Laughton as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame ". He seems to embody all the world's suffering. I've been delighted with the idea of hanging him next to my cheeky pufferfish (top image) like Comedy and Tragedy, the Greek theatre masks. Sadly, the framers have no time for me this month so I'll come up with another narrative- I'll put on my recent (unframed ) work on one wall and display the older work along the other two walls. It was amazing to see the framed work again - I need sunglasses to look at them, they're so bright. Only 11 more days until show time !

I've signed up for Open Studios on October 15th and 16th at 1258 Fitzgerald Ave in San Francisco. Hours are 11 am. to 6 pm. A great opportunity to see my new work- calling all friends and collectors !

I love this photo taken by my friend and fellow artist Erin Caughman.

I've spent the last couple of weeks working on this Cuban Hamlet fish. I'm captivated by his brilliant coloration.

I spent most of July painting this large(22"x 30")portrait of a Spotted Scorpionfish, scorpaena plumieri.The greatest challenge was getting the eye right.

Two layers of " New Zealand Rock Lobster" which I started in early June after seeing Matisse's work at SFMOMA. I started by methodically filling in the shadows and details. The completed work is black, red and yellow with bright blue accents to heighten the contrast. I continue to be inspired by Matisse as I read his 2 part biography by Hilary Spurling. I'm currently finishing "The Unknown Matisse".

Time has flown by since my last post in May. Philadelphia and environs is replete with fabulous public gardens and a stupendous museum, equally nurturing for my creativity. On Memorial Day, I visited the SF Museum of Art for my first visit to the Stein Collection show with my friend and fellow artist Erin. We were amazed and delighted at the excellent quality and breadth of the show- I am enraptured by Matisse and Cezanne and have made repeated visits. In June I saw the Picasso show at the De Young for the first time- followed by a second visit a few days later. My creativity was galvanized by Picasso, deeply inspired by the variety and originality of his work.

The completed version of the large "frogfish" painting. Now I'm off to Philadelphia for 5 days to look at lovely estate gardens.

I am extremely pleased to announce that I have sold a giclee- high quality fine art print - of "Diodon holocanthus I " today. He was included in my show at Bucci's restaurant in January .

The first,second and third layer of my large frogfish painting, the fourth and final layer still to be completed.

This is the frogfish that I painted last week, in a 16" by 20" format. I'm working on a full sheet size this week- 22" by 30". I am totally captivated by the subject and the process of painting, a winning combination.

I'm so excited about Dr. Ellen Prager's new book Sex, Drugs and Sea Slime:the oceans'oddest creatures and why they matter.I heard her talking about it today on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. I ordered the book after checking their website for a fabulous slide show of these creatures plus an excerpt from the book. I sense a new source of inspiration !

This lidded cauldron with a satyr is so special it's featured in the Getty Villa's free map and guide.

Beautiful Roman objects from the Getty Villa in Malibu.

I saw lots of wonderful art at the Getty Villa and LACMA on my trip to LA. My six month old grand daughter Celia seems to prefer blue.

Michael, my teacher, softening the white band I've made.A misty veil creates the illusion of the bell covering the bright inner part. It was great fun watching him apply paint completely differently than I do.

The completed version looks very Louis XIV to me, the Sun King in his radiance.

Still trying to figure how to transfer this lovely from a digital photo into an image I can use for painting ...

Not much happening on the studio as weekly art classes have been suspended for a month- this one started Jan. 30 looks almost finished...

According to the Chinese Almanac, it brings luck for the rest of the year to see the first Full Moon of the year. I passed the information on to Dan Pearson in the parking lot after his talk.

Last night I attended a lecture sponsored by the Garden Conservancy and the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show- in the photo : Kay Estey, Garden Show producer talking to the presenter Dan Pearson, a noted British garden designer.( I was excited to get in as the website announced SOLD OUT.) I was thoroughly inspired by his vision in the public spaces he's created, one being Maggie's, a beautiful cancer care center in urban London and the other, a 400 hectare property, the Tokachi Millenium Forest in Hokkaido, Japan.

I've sent an email request to show my work at the Westside Cafe in west Berkeley. I'm following up on a lead in the Art Span bulletin. It feels good to keep the momentum going. On Feb. 26th, I'll find out if I got a place in the show at the Falkirk in San Rafael.

We've settled on a price and I'll be getting a check in a couple of weeks. Yeah ! The Year of the Rabbit is auspicious for selling artwork and items that beautify the home.

Last night I got an email titled- "Conversation about buying a painting ". What a sweet Valentine. She told me how much she liked my work and pointed out one of my paintings is NOT on my website- an omission I'm fixing asap. This is the season I'm getting my paperwork and digital files in order so that the business end of my artwork can run smoothly and I can devote myself to creating more wondrous sea creatures.

A Facebook friend- a person I've never met - sent me a link to a photo stream of Australian Great Barrier Reef fish, shot by a friend of his,taken with a Canon S 90, the same camera I have. I tried printing some of them in the hope of using them for source material. Unfortunately, the photo processing darkened the exquisite aqua color of the sea and the fish enough to render them useless to me. However, I now have direct access to the guy who shot the lovely photos-he's got more. I have to figure out a way to use them - a good photo printer/ digital photo display method. I love looking at the photos- I feel like I'm underwater, turning into a fish or sea dragon.
Rainy weather = studio time.

I mailed my entry form to the Falkirk Cultural Center and submitted 3 digital images ( jpgs.) by email. The deadline is Feb. 15th and notification of the jury's decision is Feb. 26th. I received a check from the Maui Ocean Center yesterday for $ 7.58. In 2006 I consigned a number of small( 8" x 10" matted )digital prints and occasionally received a check. Since I picked up most of the prints in 2008, I didn't expect to get another check. Anther sign of the great mystery that guides my art career- and my life.

This morning I picked up my paintings, neatly wrapped and ready to travel from Bucci's. They are now resting comfortably in my studio, waiting in the wings for their next performance. Two upcoming projects- first, applying for the annual juried show at the Falkirk Mansion in San Rafael, due Feb 15th, and second, call the owner of one of my large paintings to get permission to reproduce it as a giclee. I met a friend on Chinese New Year who lives down the block from this painting so I figure it's time to act.

I just received an email from Ken, whom I met through Craig's List personal ads - "Mention on you in online article ". I thought he meant someone had written about my show at Bucci's restaurant. However, it was a request to use my first name in an article he is writing on his online dating experience during the last year and a half ,to post on his website. "On July 15th, I met Rosie, an artist, a gardener, and a Buddhist practitioner- a few weeks later, I attended the opening of a show of her paintings, acrylics of sea creatures." - my show at the LightRoom in Berkeley.

My new painting of a jellyfish- first draft.
I finally tried the gnocchi at Bucci's restaurant last night- delicious ! Thanks to Michael for the recommendation .

This Wednesday January 26th, Clark Miller gave a slide show and lecture at the California Academy of Science. He is an accomplished underwater photographer and conservationist. His images are beautiful and inspiring . He explained the threats to the survival of beautiful coral reefs and their inhabitants in an easily assimilable way. Please have a look at his work at AquaTerraImagery.com.

Thanks to my friends Judith and Paul for inventing hilarious uses for my postcards at Bucci's last night !