So far I’ve only seen the inside of my hotel room, the miami beach conference center, and Lincoln Road. The Adobe Creative Suite conference is keeping me very busy with lots of helpful tools and tricks. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve heard people (myself included) utter, “ohhhh!”

The restaurant experience on Lincoln Road has been fine, nothing spectacular but the service and palatability has been satisfactory, which is good since most places add an automatic 18% gratuity. Food and drinks are fairly expensive, for instance I’ve seen sodas on the menu for $4.50. So, I’ve been drinking ice water and trying not to use up my stipend before dinner. Lincoln Road is pedestrian only and most places have an outdoor seating area, so people watching is excellent—believe me, there are plenty of interesting characters walking around this town.

My hotel is just okay looks-wise but the location is great, they fixed my broken hairdryer without fuss, and they make strong coffee in the morning, so it could be worse. I must have one of the bigger rooms as two double beds could easily fit in here—some online reviews complained about the small room size at this place. Thankfully, I don’t take up much space. :)

Eric was playing this song while I was finishing up my latest painting and the name stuck. Translated to mean, “life in pink.” This one is fairly large, 16 x 20 inches.

My normal technique involves a lot of blending. This unfinished painting had been up on the wall of my studio for a while and I needed to finish it but I didn’t like the way it was going. So I just started scribbling on some color and blended with other pastels sticks instead of my fingers. The result is a lively piece that I am very happy with.

I added the black outlines last to give it a more illustrative look.

I’ve been practicing with my 60mm macro lens and manual settings this week. Evidence follows:

afternoon and morning shots, respectively.

This one is a little soft, but the depth of field worked pretty well (it was about a 5 second shot)

I really liked the depth of field I got on this one, especially in the papery region.

Riesling has quite the arsenal of attention-getting techniques. On Wednesday night she was tired (having rollerbladed with Leandra that afternoon) and really wanted us to relax on the couch. However, we were busy planning an upcoming trip, so Riesling had no choice but to re-focus our attention where it properly belonged.

This maneuver, known as the “pitiful dog,” is generally effective.

Perhaps her most effective tactic—the direct grab for attention. Her next step usually includes draping her body across Leandra’s notebook along with a very loud sigh.

I bought a little moleskine last year, but after this first drawing, put it away for a while. About two weeks ago, I decided to make better use of my lunch hours… The result is my current set on flickr. I am looking to add two to three new drawings a week.

I typically draw in pencil first, add an ink outline, then finish with colored charcoal pencils. Accompanying each drawing are my recent thoughts/past observances and the date it was completed. Stay tuned. :)

I know we have no right to complain about the winter here in NC (especially with family suffering through NY and Chicago winters) but it has been consistently cold here the last few weeks. However, yesterday was 60+ and the daffodils have responded! Evidence below:

Now I can start thinking about this year’s garden…

Fareed Zakaria is one of the few journalists who consistently writes insightful and well-researched opinions on politics and world affairs. His most recent piece, Hassle and Humiliation in Newsweek, discusses the sorry state of affairs in US immigration. This is his view of the difference between the 70′s and now: “The reality of the America that I experienced was a powerful refutation of the propaganda and caricatures of its enemies. But today, through inattention, stupidity and bureaucratic cowardice, the caricature is becoming reality.”

I think a large part of the problem is that most Americans never have to deal with immigration or visas in the US, and therefore don’t even know about the frustrations. Personally, we know several people going through the immigration process and the stories they tell are frankly embarrassing. Obtaining a visa is even worse—people are made to feel like criminals. For universities it’s become a stumbling block for recruitment and retainment of students, and made scientific conferences harder to hold in the US. There is a level of oversight that is necessary and proper, but today we have moved to an extreme and frustrating end, ultimately to the detriment of the country.

I started a new painting last week and finished it up enough to bring to my meeting on Saturday. I took in some helpful advice and added a bright blue sunburst background which I think really makes the yellow petals pop off the paper. I’m very happy with it and it will look nice in our living room on the blue walls… Eric named it “abricot,” which is apricot in french. :)

We had good light in the living room early this afternoon so I took some shots of Riesling and Leandra.

trust me, this pose didn’t last long.

my two girls.

don’t worry, Leandra wasn’t harmed in the filming of this shot!

Me trying to work on the computer and Riesling determined to take up as much of my lap as possible. Happy Friday!