My first separate newsletter highlighting my work as an artist is due out this week. Several years ago when I was pursuing art as a career I wrote a newsletter, first monthly and then bi-monthly and then I stopped for awhile. I think it was when one of my dogs was very sick and needed a lot of care.

After working on my websites for a couple of months now (in his 'spare' time), my Internet Architect husband finished separating my books and writing from my painting. My two websites are: www.DJGeribo.com for everything related to writing, book reviews, my thoughts on writing, and www.DJGeribofineart.com which is all of my painting and tips on what I've learned about painting over the years. 

It seems as of late I'm in the middle of several paintings at once. Most are in oils since I've been working in that medium lately. I will often pick a medium and use that for several months. Then I start looking at say, my pastels, and then I'm off in that direction. I'm always working on something in acrylics only because they dry so fast and I can continue working on them. Also, they don't take any preparation, like oils that need turpentine and other solvents to work on a painting. All acrylics need is water. But I have been working on one of my favorite subjects, besides animals, and that is fruit/veggie still lifes.

I was recently asked to judge a "Paint a Puppy" Contest, an event that was part of my town's Old Home Days. It is a fun event, sponsored by Rotary, and includes free cake and ice cream for all the residents who come to see the paintings.

For many years now, I have written out my goals for the new year. I don't refer to them as 'resolutions', I refer to them as goals since they are actually chores or activities or accomplishments I definitely want to do. My list is long; it seems to grow longer each year! But it is full of all the wonderful things I still want to do in my life. Of course, a lot of them revolve around writing and still a few around painting. And then there is the 'self-improvement' category and also the house-projects, etc.

It seems that resolutions are made to be broken. It is almost a standing joke with people and many will talk about resolutions that they made at the beginning of the year but by February they are long forgotten and now they can laugh about it. Of course, this is when there is a surge of sales where people buy treadmills and other workout machines that soon become a place where they throw their clothes when getting ready for bed.