Here's a painting in progress. It contains things I'm thrilled by (bright orange or red-orange against blue-green ... whoa). Also, things I find interesting and challenging: layers without hard edges, ethereal. Letterforms speaking big and loud! Now to bring it all together. More later.

As events have unfolded in the past couple of months, I couldn't be more proud of Minnesotans standing up to our fascist federal government. Chant, Yell, Sing, Cry, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media on cradled birch. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediaartist #abstractart #resist

My favorite of all the mysteries we've carried with us out of ancient history. How Words Began, 30 x 15 x 1.5 inches, mixed media on canvas. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediaartist #abstractart #philology

Sometimes there's a reality in my mind that I'm drawing from. Not here. This one is about shapes, color, and composition. Oh, and some stripes. What do you see here? Equipoise with Stripes, 36 x 18 x 2.5 inches, mixed media on canvas. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediaartist #abstractart

You can still see part of the layer with the Old Irish "Ar scath a cheile a mhaireann na daoine" (People live in each other's shadow/shelter). What They Could Tell Us, 10 x 10 x 2.5 inches, mixed media on canvas. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediaartist #abstractart

Abstracting the rolling hills and farm fields in a southern Wisconsin winter. Snow Fence, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media on cradled birch board. Available. #minnesotaabstractartist #abstractpainting #collageart

Many layers and iterations built up this work. A hand-drawn stencil; stripes painted, cut from an old book (1800s) found in an attic, and from a road atlas. Compendium of Forms, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media on cradled birch board. Available. #minnesotaabstractartist #abstractpainting #collageart

This painting began with an entirely different painting underneath. Bits and pieces of the old one show through, and lent a hand in building the texture of the layers on top. Winter Work, 12 x 12 x 2.5 inches, acrylic on canvas. Available. #minnesotaabstractartist Instagram: @marypsargeant

Having spent most of my life living in and exploring Wisconsin, this little painting calls to mind the southwestern part of the state. Driftless, 12 x 12 x 1.5 inches, mixed media on canvas. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediapainting #abstractart

A loose grid containing ideas about light and the structures and spaces it shines into and on. Waking Hours, 12 x 12 x 1.5 inches, mixed media on canvas. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediapainting #abstractart

Where does inspiration come from? For me, it's the painting itself. Applying paint, watching & feeling the brush move, and then standing back to see what occurs to me next. Mapping the Stars, 12 x 12 inches, mixed media on birch board. Sold. @marypsargeant #minnesotaartist #mixedmediapainting

Palimpsest ... writing, then erasing — but never completely ... so old versions still appear faintly. Here, layers are built upon layers, allowing some earlier shapes and marks to show up alongside the new. Palimpsest, 12 x 12 inches, mixed media on birch board. Available. #minnesotaartist

This painting began only with shapes, textures, and colors placed without an end result in mind. The challenge was to bring them together into a consistent whole. Drawing Room, 12 x 12 inches, mixed media on birch board. Available #minnesotaartist #mixedmediapainting #abstractart #abstractpatterns

My fascination with etymology began in early childhood before I could read. In this piece, letter forms become visual language. Écriture, 12 x 12 inches, mixed media on birch board. Available. #minnesotaartist #mixedmediapainting #abstractart #asemicwriting

Why the fuck are we talking about making Canada a 51st state, while Puerto Rico and Washington DC are RIGHT THERE WAITING????

From Heather Cox Richardson's letter of December 3: "The events in Seoul also cemented the shift in social media from X to Bluesky, where news was breaking faster than anywhere else, in a way that echoed what Twitter used to be." Significant mention, I say. #LettersfromanAmerican

I finally cut the ties to that other place. Feels better already.