May I take a minute to brag?

In the middle of December I was approached by the editor of St.Croix This Week magazine, the monthly publication focused on the month's activities, and asked if I could do a series of sketches for the February issue. Though I'd never done this kind of commission before and my deadline was December 31, I immediately said that I'd do it! Of course! You all know I'm a bit crazy and ready for anything! Following some very specific guidelines given me by the editor, I rendered my sketches in oils on 12"X12" stretched canvases. I used my daughter & son-in-law, Jennifer & Jason as my models for a cute couple out enjoying what our island has to offer. All three paintings were completed ahead of the deadline and I was pretty happy with my results. I thought they were "cute", similar in style to my Palletteers @ Pollys poster painting. Since handing them over to the edior I've been counting the days in anticipation for the February issue to come out. On Sunday morning I drove to the nearest hotel and saw it on display. I picked up a "few" copies and eagerly returned to my car to page through one. I was pretty nervous: Would my paintings even be big enough to see? Would my caricatures look too amateur? Would the colors be ok? I found the first one! Whew! I like what they did with it! It's the focus of the entire page! Quick, quick, let's find the next two. This is really neat! You can even read my signature! Oh boy! Hey world: I've been published! Wow! Paint me excited!
Ginger