On Christmas Eve, I took myself out to the movies to see WILD (highly recommend!!) and then came home and spent a few hours wrapping and painting my gifts. 

I used recycled newsprint, some old Prismacolor markers I've had since grade school, and some white acrylic paint. So incredibly cathartic. 

I think next year, I may just wrap empty boxes and paint them :)

Lately, I've been fascinated with animal symbolism. Most notably, the red-tailed hawk. 

"Hawks are the protectors and visionaries of the Air. They hold the key to higher levels of consciousness. This power animal enables us to awaken vision and inspires a creative life purpose." Read more about hawk symbolism here and red tailed hawk symbolism here. 

Here are some studies of the red tailed hawk that I've been exploring. The color images are of a red tailed hawk turned phoenix. The canvas measures 24"x48" and the image was made using pastel and conte.