four things | fifty-seven | Miss Mustard Seed

I’m at my parents’ house for a few days to help them as my mom recovers from surgery to repair her broken wrist, so my work has been a little different for a couple of days.  That’s also why this blog post is coming out a day late, but hopefully you’re too busy with life and your own creative work to notice.  I did bring along things to do, though, as I continue to plan for 2026 and prepare to launch some new things.

So, I’m doing this and that between doling out doses, rotating ice packs, helping around the house, and confiscating expired medication (seriously, one pack of Tylenol Cold my dad had in his med stash was over 24 years old).  We had a good laugh about that, and I bought some new cold medicine that will certainly be more effective.

Here are my four things for the week: Art Rivals, A Complete Unknown, a voice & a guitar, and my next original art sale…

what I’m reading

I was sad when I finished Paris in Ruins because I enjoyed it so much, so I started reading another book by Sebastian Smee, The Art of Rivalry.  I haven’t enjoyed it quite as much as Paris in Ruins, but it’s still a great book, and I’m looking forward to getting to know more Matisse, Pollock, and de Kooning.  I haven’t read as much about those three.

what I’m watching

Jeff and I watched A Complete Unknown, a movie about the life of Bob Dylan, and it is excellent.  As someone who plays the guitar, I am so happy the actors actually played the guitar.  I could see the chords, picking, hammering the strings, and everything.  I love so many of Bob Dylan’s songs, so I also enjoyed how much music they used as a part of the storytelling.  It is rated R for some language, but it is otherwise a pretty clean movie.

what I’m loving

I am loving listening to folk music.  So much so that I made a new playlist with some of my favorites from the movie soundtrack, along with some originals.  I added in some Peter, Paul & Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to that mix while painting and working.

I like and appreciate a variety of music styles, but my favorite is a guitar, a voice, some harmonies, and lyrics like poetry.

what I’m working on

It’s been a pretty exciting week!  My artwork was featured on a TV Show (more on that in another post), and I received the first draft layout of my new book!

I have also been preparing for my next original art sale, scheduled for Friday, January 16, 2026, at 1:00 pm EST.  I have painted almost every day to put together a variety of small, medium, and large works.  I even made a fresh batch of color charts on antique linen.  I will post a preview of all available works, sizes, and prices on Monday.

What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?