"I'm painting... I'm painting again!"

Above: My first painting after a 35-year hiatus: A portrait of my late grandmother, for my mother and aunt. I figured an accurate likeness to be a meaningful test of my capacity to paint again.

Talking Heads' early underground hit, "Artists Only," hit me right upside the head the year I finished college. But I was a lean, green buck with my head in the clouds, and was swept away somewhat by all the wrong things — the last of which was to follow my muse. It took me 35 years as a commercial graphic artist to get around to finally "cleaning my brain" and commence painting again — and realize what a truly cleansing act it can be.

So here it is: My new, chosen career — as it ought to have begun...

Painting details...