November has a bad rep. Cold. Dark way too early. Leaves that stunned in October with colors so brilliant you took hundreds of photos that you’ll never look at again–those very same leaves now lie faded on the ground like leftover Wheaties in the bottom of the bowl.

As my Facebook feed will attest (and we all know Facebook is the Grand Poobah of truth) November sucks. Or maybe I just have whiney friends.

But hold on a sec–and don’t judge me when I say this, I like this time of year. No, make that love this time of year. Homemade soup. Bone penetrating heat of the wood stove. Snuggling under the covers with a dog if not Mr. Spouse. Butter on everything. Carbs. The Danish have a word for this that translates into ‘cozy‘.

They also have a pastry stuffed with sweet cream cheese. I rather like those Danes.

But I really like cozy, even when it means having to wear a headlamp and put on my brave just to feed the donkey in the dark. I snuggle all deep in a heavy canvas barn jacket so thick and cozy a mountain lion wouldn’t be able to bite through it. Knock on wood. And then, after daring the wilderness with only a headlamp and a jacket weighing 50 pounds, I get to return to a warm house provided that #1: I haven’t been eaten and that #2: somebody built a fire. If all that lines up, i.e., I’m alive and the house is toasty then it’s time to eat butter on something carby.

Then I make art, Winter’s Night Art which is different from Studio Art. Winter’s Night Art involves the tv and an iPad. And the sofa (the most important part). And a fire in the wood stove. And a couple of dogs stretched out beside me. Winter’s Night Art could also be called Digital Recycled Art, repurposed paintings of mine that I turn into something completely new via the magic of Mr. Apple Pen. This is all long and complicated, the subject of another post someday because Jasmine June is braying for her dinner. I must stop dawdling over this and put on my brave. But first check out a couple of my Winter’s Night Art paintings below. If you like what you see you can purchase prints here.

Gotta go feed Jasmine now. Holy crap, it’s dark out there!