Oh the thrill of new art supplies! I had looked and lusted after them for months, pondered the choice of colors and finally ordered six individual pans and an empty tin. The package was stuck for weeks at a sorting facility, buried in the flood of holiday purchases. Now, here they are in all their glittering brightness, snapped into the tin, a metallic rainbow. They are ready for a try-out; washes of color on black paper or white, with brushes or sponges or perhaps my fingers. Can there be a happier way to start a new year?