French Press & Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Clif Bar

I'm elbows deep into several projects these days! Which is a great thing. One of the best things for a mind, mine at least, is to stay busy with projects. (I suppose I know plenty of people that don't enjoy being busy and spend most of their time not doing anything, but where's the fun in that?) Not only is it important to me to have projects on my list but to have an array of projects to not get burnt out with one. That being said, I was stoked to get an acrylic commission causing me to get the biggest canvas I've painted on and to switch it up from my normal watercolor paintings. To take it a bit further, the style is not my norm either, where I'm working on portraits with pop art inspiration! This whole commission is a big challenge that I am eagerly working on. So obviously, I'm filming my process from sketch to base layers to full paint to special detailed work at the end. I'll post that video once completed, which hopefully will be by next week. 

I'm working on two watercolor commissions as well as the acrylic. Which allows me to switch back to a comfort area when the pop art piece is driving me insane ha! But keep an eye on my instagram to see regular updates on those. Have you ever heard of a Marabou Stork? Creepy looking stork that eats flamingos alive...that's one commission. haha! The other watercolor is a client's house based in California. Beautiful house that i get to decorate with lounging cats! 

Then there's the old digital paintings I'm trying to bring back to life with wheat paste and some paint. I honestly have no clue what I'm going to do with these paintings but I was tired of seeing this pictures collect dust. I needed a refreshment. 

And let me not forget my poor miata's clutch went to shit so I'm also in the process of replacing that.

All in all, I'm happily busy but will be quite excited to check some of them off my list as I know I'll have more projects to replace them! 

I hope everyone has a great week! 

Yunan Pour-Over & Hopefully Some Toast

           I got a chance to make coffee at home this morning and so I decided to do some writing along with that gift. I wandered downstairs this morning with a yawn on my lips and pop in my bones. Made it to the kitchen just in time for the Yawn-Stretch Combo to happen. Spotted a bag of Yunan coffee, which happens to be from China, and did a little jig to the grinder. Hips swaying to an imaginative song in my head. Eventually that imaginary song turned into Everything by Atmosphere. Song's jammin. Water's heating. Coffee's grinding. Head's bobbing. Feet tapping. Grinding finished. Water's done. Steam's rising. Coffee's dripping. Aromas' dancing. And the job is done. First sip is like a gift from the universe; warmth, love, energy, flavor, & happiness shared through a liquid. We don't deserve such things as beautiful as specialty coffee. Centuries of perfected agriculture on perfected locations to a single surface area of a coffee farm, added to the years of perfected roasting machines and software and roasting styles come together in magical harmony inside a mug.

          Silence rings out after the coffee is finished. It's a comforting song that sits on everything like a weighted blanket. It presents itself to my mind like a blank white board where I toss my thoughts and arrange them to spend a closer look. It, too, is a great gift. Quiet and slow mornings are oases in an otherwise hectic morning, traditionally. Both offer different things, the quiet & slow provides patience but can easily get boring; the hectic mornings offer fast pace and a sense of work purpose. There are no moments to sit back and ponder thoughts. There is only "take care of this" and "on to the next."  The key is the balance. 

Oh snap! My toast is done! See ya.