Oh February, thou art like the harpy, which, to betray, dost with thine angel’s face, seize with thine eagle’s talons!¹

Even your holiday of love, and unseasonably warm weather have done little to distract me from the egregious stresses you have wrought on my life. This last week should have been free and clear, a spring-board to getting my life back in order, but, O! you lowly month of gloom and pre-spring limbo, you had to prove that you had other plans– and that you did, to a T. Raining bile-inducing pestilence on my already muddled life, rendering me useless beyond caring for sick children, spouse, and self. I see your scheme, your evil plot: make me weak and distracted, then to hobble me with scattered toys, smother me in unkempt laundry,  bury me in an avalanche of unwashed dishes…

But you will not win.  The sun is shining today, my house is quiet and I am gathering my strength and my thoughts. You have succeeded in leading me off of my path, breaking hard-earned habits. I have felt discouraged, distracted, and disappointed. But it isn’t for naught. I still have something to show for it. I may not have sketched on more than a handful of days, even with nothing of worth, but I never, not once, lost sight of my goal. I never gave up on myself, this project, or my dreams. And here’s proof:

fixies and mixtapes

24"x 24" mixed media- collage and acrylic

I also did two smaller projects as gifts for a couple of my friends’ daughters.
This one, using crayon and paper flowers:

waxworks, melted crayon art

and an ambigram (which can be read both upside down and right-side up) for Fiona:

6" x 12" ink and pencil on artboard

To see more of my ambigrams, click here!

Do your worst, February, with your awkwardly spelled name and short-month syndrome. Take your extra day and shove it. March is gonna be awesome.

¹from Pericles, Prince of Tyre (except the “Oh February” part)