On January 31, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis orchestrated a well-planned, surprise and hostile takeover of New College, my alma mater. On the heels of the takeover, at the first board meeting, the president of the college, a long-time faculty member, was fired without cause and replaced with a political ally of the governor at well over twice the salary of the ousted president, an amount which threatens the New College Foundation's ability to support the college itself.

As an alum, I have wanted to write something personal in response to what has and is happening but where to start has paralyzed me. So I've decided to make a brief entry here so that I can move on to other blog posts waiting in the wings. Then I expect to add to this post over time.

There has been a lot of press devoted to the ongoing developments but I have yet to see any reports that actually describe what New College is, or at least was. The disinformation and misrepresentation of New College has been heartbreaking. Admittedly, New College is rare and difficult to describe.

New College is a place in a particular geographic setting, with unique, historic buildings, adjacent to complimentary cultural institutions, all part of the larger history and culture that makes up Sarasota, Florida.

It is a community of students, faculty, administrators, alumni, patrons, government officials, neighbors.

What may make New College so difficult to describe is that more than an institution of higher education, New College is an experience. The experience of New College is an alchemical process unique to every graduating student.

As a for instance, I recently connected with a few local alums including a cultural anthropologist, epidemiologist, urban planner, Whole Foods manager, and me.

I will stop there for now and pick this up as I have time and can write about my personal experience, why New College is important, and why what is happening there is dangerous on a scale much larger than the campus and community.

Meanwhile, you can visit savenewcollege.org/ to learn more and read press accounts of and since the takeover.

Part 2
Coming eventually....

If I had a nickel for every copy I've made of Albrecht Dürer's Young Hare, I'd probably have a quarter. In honor of the new year, I pulled out one unfinished class demo of the watercolor and went to work. Finally. I like this one! (Especially at a distance.)

I don't know about you but I was not ready to hit the ground running on the first day of this calendar year. I needed time to do nothing, to rest and recover from the last year or three or four.

Fortunately, I prefer to live my life by the cycles of the moon and am reviving myself just in time for the first new moon of the year today at 3:55 PM. This New Snow Moon in Aquarius ushers in the Chinese New Year tomorrow which opens the year of the Water Rabbit.

By the way, today's lunar event is the closest new moon since 1030, which is notable although I don't know what, if anything, it means.

So if you've neglected to set intentions for the year ahead or fallen off the Dry January wagon or already quit going to the gym, not to worry. Now is the time for setting intentions with the natural energy of the first full lunation of the year plus all of the planets are going direct. How can you lose?

Hippity hop. It's time to begin.


Blog title is from Auden's As I walked out one evening.

I used another image by Cory Richards' portfolio of Franz Josef Land for these Arctic Terns.

I'm happy with the way this one turned out.

I can't stand rooting through scraps of paper in search of a subject to draw and watercolor. I have enough pieces of paper all over my studio and office.  They drive me crazy. No matter how many times I straighten up, the pieces of paper pile up and so I have to surrender at least somewhat.

About a year ago, I acquired a large stack of relatively recent National Geographics via Freecycle. These bound pages offer a much more orderly reference than miscellaneous scraps. Plus, I learn things.

For example, the reference photo of this Polar Bear comes from an article about Franz Josef Land. I'd heard of Franz Josef Land but was not sure where, exactly it was or that it is part of Russia.

My reference photo for this entry is by Cory Richards and the caption reads, "Polar bears eat mainly ringed seals and bearded seals, captured on sea ice. On land they scrounge seabirds, eggs, even grass. This animal grazed for days below Rubini Rock—then chewed up the remote camera."

So that I am not at a loss as to what to draw and paint when I sit down to this new sketchbook, I've been going through scraps of images I've cut out of magazines over the past year for just this very reason. Not many still hold their appeal but this one felt seasonal and doable so here it is, a branch with apples.

I turned around the other morning and spotted one of these darling Red Efts on my screen. Naturally, I had to go meet the thing and look it over, up close and personal. Yes, I picked it up and held it in my hand.

When I was a child at camp in the Catskills, we would catch these what we called Salamanders in the woods and probably took them back to our tents for pets. Then, I had no idea but just learned that this is not a Salamander at all but a juvenile Eastern Newt who spent its larva stage in the water, lives on land while a bright orange juvie and then returns to the water as an adult. These creatures live for 12 - 15 years! Amazing!

I had to commemorate this only find of my adult life in an illustration. I am so impressed and delighted that once again, so many, many years later, I am living in the vicinity of the Eastern Newt and that one came to visit.

Sometimes things just line up nicely.

I had a new neighbor over for tea today on what happens to be my birthday. Although she was unaware that it is my birthday, she brought flowers and, what do you know? It's her daughter's birthday, too.

I've been threatening to start a studio journal, just for fun. Just to keep my drawing and painting in regular action while I work on landscapes and commissions. So I took this opportunity to use the flowers as models to get me started. Nothing too special. No need for perfection.

Starting a new journal or book or painting or new composition of any sort usually seems daunting as the blank pages loom ahead. But here I've made a start and sometimes that is the most important thing. Just to dirty up the first page a little.

The next most important thing, of course, is to start filling the pages and then, ideally to finish something. I like the idea of a studio journal to fill for fun without worrying about the outcome. This Stillman & Birn hardcover Beta book is perfect. Excellent quality paper and something I've been saving for the perfect project.

I'll post images from this sketchbook a couple of times a month for the foreseeable future. Let's see what develops.

I've started in on a fresh series of landscapes. The best way to start this sort of adventure is by looking. The best way to see what you are looking at is by drawing. And the best way to study is by looking at what others who've gone before have made.

So, I'm happy to be back to the drawing board at the very beginning of something I've been working at for many, many years. Keeping a beginner's mind is a helpful way to approach almost anything.

This summer, I'm offering an online foundation course in drawing and watercolor for absolute beginners and for anyone willing to assume a beginner's mind. Need a helping hand to start or get back to your own practice? Join us!

Stay tuned for more drawings.

There's a full moon coming up next Monday, the 16th. From what I understand, the full moon is a perfect opportunity to drop what no longer serves us and accept the power to make structural changes in our lives that can allow us to alter the course of our path a bit and feel better. Everyone knows (don't they?) that if we feel better within ourselves, it naturally follows that we can help others feel better, too.

It's the Flower Moon of May. Maybe her light can clarify your situation a bit so that you can see better and help you change your perspective. Change your perspective, change your reality.

What if the greatest journey of your life has yet to begin? Anything is possible. Some journeys are launched with just the tilt of a head. Try looking at yourself a little differently, at life a little differently. Put one foot in front of the other, do the next right thing, and wonder what new magic life might hold in store.

My suggestion is that you mark this full moon by deciding what it is you're going to shed. It's not a bad idea to write out your musings on paper and then write down (with intention) what it is you're deciding to shed. Then let it go. Burn the paper if you have to.

The power of a full moon is usually in session three days before and three days after the apex.

In preparation, you can spend some time collecting items for the trash or give away. It's absolutely true that clearing out physical clutter leads to clearing psychic and emotional clutter.

Make like a snake and shed some skin. Figuratively, of course. It couldn't hurt.