Just back from the holidays and about recovered from 2 weeks of travel to Texas to see family. The time between just before Christmas and just after New Years Day are typically slow for my art business, so I try to take advantage of the lull and take a little break for myself as well. However, I am returning to the studio this week so I'll be brushing off the cobwebs and getting back in gear to get ready for an upcoming February show at City Art Gallery in North Carolina. It was really good to have a break, but I have missed painting. Hopefully I won't be too rusty. Sometimes I find the short breaks can actually help my work though. Next week should be interesting because I am starting a 10 day juice fast to try and give my mind and body some clarity. I've struggled with some headaches and other health issues of late. I first thought the paint fumes might be the culprit, but I've been away from them for a while and the symptoms persist, though they come and go.

As it is with so many folks, the days leading up to the holidays were full of deadlines for me and I'd not been eating or exercising properly, which I think affected my overall energy level and sense of wellbeing. A detox seems in order. I will be interested to see if the paint fumes in my studio affect me or seem more acute during the fast. I have been so used to that smell that normally I can barely smell anything at all!