I want to connect my work with who I am as a person One of the things I most love about social media, is the opportunity to connect with and learn from other artists and creatives. Particularly those who have been painting for decades longer than I have, yet are still willing to present themselves […]
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Simplicity and repose are the qualities that measure the true value of any work of art. The art of simplicity is a puzzle of complexity. I often start my paintings with a lot of scribbling and energy, covering the panel with marks to respond to and eventually, cover up. While […]
A work is finished when an artist realizes his [or her] intentions When something is finished, that means it’s dead, doesn’t it? I never finish anything. I just stop working on it for awhile. One of the most frequently asked questions in the artist support groups I belong to is “is this painting finished?”. While […]
First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. I’ve been a fitness coach for 14 years and a painter for 4. Surprisingly, the two have a lot in common. Both require motivation, inspiration, dedication, getting comfortable with doing uncomfortable things and a willingness to explore one’s personal […]
Art isn’t paint; it’s love. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received as an artist was to figure out what I truly loved, and paint that. Art isn’t about paint; it’s about love. The same advice also works for art collectors. And is especially important because, unlike the artist, who finishes and […]
I can hear the wheels of the automobiles so far away Just moving along through the drifting snow It’s times like these when the temperatures freeze I sit alone just looking at the world through a storm window John Prine Way back in January I stumbled upon an Instagram post about #the100daysproject; an annual, online, […]
Examine your reason for doing the project this year – are you doing it to have fun, to work on a skill, or to work towards an outcome? Having a clear why will help keep you focused when the project inevitably gets boring or difficult (working through it is part of the project!). Lindsay Jean […]
Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem. Rollo May The enemy of art is the absence of limitations. Orson Welles When I first started painting, I thought that the […]