Over the years, I’ve had this mantra; “Paint and all good things will follow”. Doing small works every day reminds me of this. I am …

Happy New Year!!! I wish all of you a peaceful, healthy, art filled 2015!!!I am so grateful to be blessed with the New Year! It …

I think they do. I  have been enjoying this holiday season immensely this year. I decided to make cookies for my sons and to give …

In the middle of winter, I did a little sketch of a summer pathway just to remind myself of what is just around the corner! …

Many years ago, I came across a list by Eric Maisel, author of Fearless Creating, of what working means. It’s a great book and a …

Today was just one of those days…sort of. It involved a second call to the IRS, ( one hour each hold time), for a mistake …

 A few FB friends and artists who follow my blog have expressed interest in doing this project too. If you are doing a small piece …

It’s the time of year for gifts and today certainly didn’t disappoint. I received a lovely phone call from one of my sons; the second …

I have a friend who I paint with pretty regularly. He’s a very good painter, but considers himself an amateur. I personally think his work …

I don’t usually talk about how much I like a piece that I’ve done! Not my style, exactly but today I want to! I just …

I got up unnaturally early, still a bit jet-lagged from my trip, but it was o.k. An early start is not so bad. I had …

This week I’m in Ann Arbor teaching a three day workshop, followed by a one day marketing seminar/workshop. I’m having a blast with the group …

I got two calls from New York several weeks back. The first was from Jimmy Wright informing me that I’d won an award for my …

Ok, I don’t own a T.V. and haven’t for a couple of years. BUT, I do own a computer, and I subscribe to Amazon Prime. …

This morning I got up with my Dad and caught the early morning light. We took a long drive in Napa valley, I took over …

I’m on a little painting vacation, so I’ll be posting some pictures and some paintings along the way. It’s a trip with many layers of …

Why do we choose to paint certain scenes and not others? What are attracted to? I know that I’m interested in capturing more intimate views …

Lately I’ve been considering discipline in my work. I am a pretty disciplined person. Being self-employed for many years very simply requires this. But just …

Paint from our truth. First we have to remove our egos from the process. The minute we think about ourselves as this or that type …

What is it that makes your hair stand on end? Chances are it’s not a new purse or even a new car. It might not …

 As a teacher, that’s all I can do…point to the moon. I can’t take you there, nor can I hand it to you, I can …

What an overwhelming week I, we, had! I can’t say enough about my wonderful group of students at my Loosen Up Intensive workshop in Wichita, …

Today I met some friends at Cook’s Butte in Lake Oswego for some painting. What an incredible day it was! Today was one of those …

Painting is an amazing endeavor that I learn all my life’s lesson from. When painting, if you focus attention on the details, you quickly get …

Another very fun and full workshop was concluded on Sunday afternoon. We made the most of a quick two days; lots of information, demos and …

Signing a piece is a gesture of approval and an acknowledgement of finishing. It’s important. A good signature can enhance a painting and a bad …

 Just a little bit of art history for the day…I think it’s so fascinating to think about how it is that we’ve come to approach …

Edges are big, maybe huge in painting. But let’s talk about the edges of a canvas rather than the edges within a piece! I’ve gone …

I got divorced last year. I write this because I committed myself to be more committed to this blog and with that, for better or …

As artists and just simply humans, we strive for balance and equilibrium. One of the principles of design that I find particularly fascinating is the …

ShowMe Here is a nifty program for Ipad; “ShowMe”. I did a quick little demo on how to scale a sketch without a ruler or …

Snow and ice are good things. I’ve been cloistered in my place for the last couple days. I did venture out briefly with my car, …

Finding inspiration and beauty can be as simple as glancing out your window, a short stroll down the block or a peek around a corner. …

I’m taking a couple weeks off from my usual painting theme of landscape. I’m playing with some new subject matter and want to explore and …

I received a delightful lesson last week in selling art. First and foremost you have to have the work. Seems very obvious, but as artists, …

I’ve found that anything that applies to painting also applies to life. Anything that applies to life, applies to painting. No big surprise there! This …

In my last post, I suggested that we need to give ourselves the gift of abundance in painting.Since writing that post, I’ve had a few …

Ok, this sounds a little like a sales pitch. Well, to be honest it is. But not in the way you think. The pitch is …

Having just come through an intense period of “doing”, I’m ready to settle into a long period of “being”. By the end of the month …

I’ve long been devoted to listening to music while I’m painting, but today it was time for quiet. I decided that bringing a more mindful …

Sometimes a little magic just happens. Maybe it’s luck, maybe, maybe good planning, or good karma. I don’t know about any of that for sure, …

After my knee surgery, I indulged in a slower pace with lots of naps and reading time. I read some books that I’ve been longing …

Yesterday I delivered the first group of works to Art Elements Gallery in Newberg, Oregon. I hope that these are the first of many, many …

Small Space, Small Moves Right before my ACL surgery, I moved my studio to a tiny room inside my townhouse. Giving up my luxiously large, …

Many of my students are women who are about to retire or have just retired and want to paint for the pleasure of it and …

Ok, I had my ACL repair surgery on Thursday of last week. I’m writing about it on this blog although seems as though it has …

Ok, here goes. My ACL is indeed torn and I have some micro-fractures on top of that. The surgeon looked at me and said, “well, …

Well, I may have a new chapter in art making coming up. I may have to channel Freida Kahlo for a little bit. When our …

What a fantastic week!! Pastelists are so lucky to have this society! It was such a wonderful deal to rub shoulders with all the pastel …

I’m trying hard to stay busy. I’m getting pretty nervous about presenting at IAPS, so I packed up my painting gear and headed to Elk …