I often find myself working the same theme or design of a painting repeatedly in order to get all I want out of an idea.  If I am happy with a basic concept, I will try different approaches to expressing that image.  My goal is to avoid overworking or trying to put too much in one painting. I find it so satisfying just applying paint to paper that it is difficult to stop. After painting the same subject several times, the work seems more confident, simplified and usually a better painting.
   Backyard Relics is a resent series that has eight attempts at this time.  Two I considered unsuccessful and they are in the scrap pile.   See what you think about the others.  I think I have this one out of my system, but maybe not.

During the time I lived on St Croix, I became familiar with dancers on stilts known as Moko Jumbies.  I love this photo of  Moko Jumbies dancing at a Valentine Jump Up on the streets of St. Croix.  Local kids train on stilts until it is second nature and when they are grown, they become one of the main attractions on the island.  Anyone who paints, including me, is soon drawn into the costumes, exaggerated heights, patterns, and movement of the performance.
One troupe meets cruise ships coming into port and tourists are treated to a swirl of bright colors in Caribbean sunlight that naturally lends itself to watercolor.