I don't always know where artful ideas will lead. The next two paintings are from earlier this year and are repurposed to illustrate how Hot Topic and Into the Vortex might have been sparked from thoughts about life challenges and personal growth, and that then made their way into household conversations.

Climbing into the Conversation began with Frida Kahlo who taught me to really look at flowers. She noticed things other may not, looking deep inside the floral parts to see hints of sensual conversation. Next up is the background I painted for a recent portrait commission. Minus the young woman with her Bolognese fighting sword, I call it Ups & Downs as an allegory in stairs for the challenges of life. That's universal in human experience and the path is never fully certain even as we pass the milestones we set for ourselves. It's intended as a hopeful message because, wherever we find ourselves on life's path, it's never too late!

These four works are all in the "new or relatively new" category. What's actually OLD is a package of 23 karat gold leaf that I rediscovered last weekend. Over the past few days I've been using the techniques I learned long ago to gild and highlight some parts of the new pair, Hot Topic and Into the Vortex. Soon I'll have these enhanced works available as limited edition prints, each individually hand-embellished with real gold and metallic copper wash.

Here then is a preview of how gilding draws the eye and adds a bright glint of real metal to the prints.