By now you might have noticed I have a thing for spirals.



I am fascinated by them in all their forms.



So what does a spiral mean? The definition of a spiral is this :
  Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring.
Or, more fancy, A plane curve, not reentrant, described by a point, called the generatrix, moving along a straight line according to a mathematical law, while the line is revolving about a fixed point called the pole. Cf. Helix.




Our galaxy is a spiral



The spiral also shows up in nature. Tornadoes, hurricanes, snails, the pattern of sunflower seeds, right down to the shape or our DNA.



Is it any wonder I cant stop painting them? They don’t even have to be round to fascinate me.



These images and more can be found here.

Around the world

mixed media collage on panel
24 x 24

That’s right. It is. Not long ago I got a package in the mail. And you will be shocked to find out it contained probably somewhere around 16lbs of nuts. Yes that’s right. SIXTEEN lbs. The label on the box weighted the box in at 22lbs. there were a few other things in the box, four packages of dried apricots and two catnip cat toys. So my best guess is around 16-18 lbs of that were the nuts….





Did I mention that the nuts were still in their shells? Thank goodness a nutcracker was sent with them. You have no idea how frustrating it has been learning how to shell pecans and walnuts. The pistachios are easy enough. But today was the real test….. CHESTNUSTS! Do you see them there in the box, mocking me from the lower right hand corner? 


How to roast chestnuts? I had no idea. And so I looked it up online. It seemed easy enough, but oh no. First I didn’t have the oven hot enough so it took me longer then suggested. Then I didn’t put X’s in all the chestnuts, just a hole for steam, and I really should have, that’s how you tell they are done. Then, about half the chestnuts ended up being bad, either too dry and hard or moldy and icky. But I did get the meat from about half of them. Now, what do I do with it? I have no idea. I’m not sure I’m a big chestnut fan, I didn’t like them very much when I tried them when they were warm. So I put them in a bag, put that bag in another bag and put them in the freezer. I’ll freeze them until I know what else to do with them, I guess.

Maybe they need an umbrella.

Bugs in the Rain

mixed media on panel
12 x 12

Pastor Doug Ferguson stepped up to the pulpit of Houston’s Grace Presbyterian Church with $5,000 in his back pocket. He preached about generosity, neighborly love and the meaninglessness of worldly wealth. Then he handed out $100 bills.


His instructions were simple: Use the money to spread comfort and joy. Show some kindness to strangers. And report back in 90 days on what you did…....
But they didn’t stop with their $100 bills. Their investments were fruitful. They multiplied.

Labors of love
Graham has always been moved by the biblical story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, and she knows that foot care is a daunting problem for the homeless community.

Helping the homeless
The challenge also stirred 51-year-old Geoff Edney’s impulse to help the homeless.

9-year-old raises $1,000
Griffin Simpson begged her parents to let her take one of the bills, but they were reluctant. They told the 9-year-old to give everyone else a chance first. Finally they relented, with Ferguson’s encouragement.

Cakes raise cash
Sharon Collins, a director with BP who dabbles in baking, wanted to raise money for her favorite charity: Project C.U.R.E., which donates used medical equipment to Third-World countries.

While I don’t actually celebrate much, I do think this is appropriate to what the season is supposed to be all about. Please read the rest of this story to find out what these wonderful people did with their $100 dollars.

read on...

This is a piece I did just a few weeks ago for a gallery show that I am reposting for Illustration Friday because it fits so well with their topic this week. This piece is actually sold now

Come Back

mixed media on gallery panel
10 x 10