After a nice holiday break in Maine, I feel energized to get going on a long list of projects and to set goals for the new year.

My long awaited, custom built iMac arrived! It's been a long time coming, and to be able to work quickly and efficiently again gives me a new sense of freedom to create. 

The days are actually getting longer now and though it seems the darkest of winter and bitter cold are ahead of us, we're actually moving closer to Spring. So when I think of January, it's a time of light and promise.

With that in mind, I've been wanting to make lampshades and it's at the top of my to-do list. I've made several in the past but never mastered the skill needed to put them into production. I have several lamp designs that I'd like to fabricate as well.

For a side hustle - not that I need one - I'm also quite smitten with the latest trend of bog coats - a simple pattern, extra cozy, made of quilted fabric, hooded, and reversible. I'll probably adapt and draft my own pattern, use scrap fabric mixed with my screen printed fabric and make them one of a kind. And I may only make a few, but I'm curious to try. 

And then there's the more pressing matter of streamlining my product line and retiring old designs to make way for new ones. It's a hard task to let go to move forward but necessary. One big change is that I've decided to only offer Comfort Color t-shirts now - which they're calling "unisex" - but it's the same men's cut. Comfort Colors is still my favorite brand and the quality of the cotton is still the best.

And last, for the longest time, I've had a desire to paint and get back to illustrating and printmaking as a fine artist. I think it's time to take that path and see where it leads me. You never know what's around the corner.

Best wishes for the new year!

Shown is a sketch of Knitting, a new pattern for canvas that I'm currently working on.