I’ve been tremendously busy with family responsibilities – the birth of my second child, and the ever more time-demanding education of my first. Therefore my art-making has been relegated to late evenings, after everyone else had gone to bed. I’ve always preferred painting at night in any case, but having children makes it more difficult as I can’t sleep in the following day but have to be up pretty much by sunrise.

Over the past year, I had compiled a book of short travel stories, which I had begun to record in audio just my second child was born. I was hoping to finish, anticipating noisy and hectic nights for the next 3 to 6 months, but the baby turned out to be exceptionally quiet. Thus, although I have only recorded 4 or 5 of the 10 stories, I should be able to finish recording them over the next few months.

When it comes to painting, my utter lack of free time makes me rethink what I want to paint. As always, I would like to be creating my best work, work that speaks for itself and requires no lengthy explanation to be appreciated. I can sense my pallette toning down over this coming year, so that brilliant color can shine even more brightly whenever it is used. In terms of subject matter, I may do some iconographic images commemorating the new martyrs of the Russian Orthodox church under communist rule, and possibly some Mexican portraits of dancers in traditional dress. This is what I have in mind. I suppose we shall see what actually happens.