This small bedroom in our new home will become my studio. At first I thought the wallpaper had to go, but it's growing on me. I might keep a tiny strip somewhere.

The doors leaning against the wall will become a table. Lots of work to do, getting set up, but it's exciting.

I made that self-portrait (on the shelf) when I was in grad school studying illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. The palm trees (lower left) were painted by my grandfather, Graham Johnston, who was a prolific creator of seascapes.

Shipping artwork is always risky. Wifey and I recently moved from Malaysia to New Zealand, a process which took several months. After carefully packing my art in a suitcase and flying it over myself, after storing it in the garage of our son's Auckland apartment while we searched for and purchased a house, after shipping the suitcase (with all of our other valuables) from Auckland to the South Island... finally, it has arrived, safe and sound.

I secretly created this 12" x 12" painting, 29 Years, as a gift for my wife, for our 29th wedding anniversary. No brushes this time; a palette knife and sneakiness were my only tools. Unfortunately, my excitement got the better of me. I snapped a photo of the completed painting to show my son. Later, several weeks before our anniversary, Wifey glimpsed the photo on my phone. Beans, spilled.

I used only a palette knife when creating this image, and am quite pleased with the result. Love the textures.

In the months leading up to my recent retirement, I converted the spare bedroom in our Malaysian apartment into an art studio, and I've been painting ever since. One of my first works, 27 Years, is a reflection on the decades I spent working while my brushes were packed away. Feels good to be back.

In the photo above, I'm working on a series about balance and force. You can see the completed painting, |%untitled|, here.