Mighty Butternut Squash: a Favorite Things Painting
What soothes a cool winter night? Mighty butternut squash, of course! I confess I have not always been a huge fan of this winter vegetable. But, recently, my older sister sent me a fantastic recipe called Moroccan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew. Oh my gosh, the stew is delicious, quick and hearty. But wait, this […]
Time for Tea: a Favorite Things painting
When is the best time for tea? If you’re British Mr Studly in our household, any time is a good time for tea! And, there’s a delightful process associated with tea time. How to Make Tea Fill kettle with water. Put the kettle ‘on.’Pick your tea. In Mr Studly’s case it’s Twinings Darjeeling. Open up […]
Favorite Things: a painter’s 2020 journey
One of my favorite songs is “Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews in the musical Sound of Music. I love the way her voice and music lilt upwards as she describes her feelings for some of her favorite things. For instance, she loves “Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens.” Who wouldn’t love some occasional […]
Decluttering online
Hello creative person! I know you, like me, would rather be drawing, painting, writing or doing your favorite passionate pursuit. But I have a question for you. Are you a fan of the decluttering fad that’s everywhere these days? OK I understand how important having a tidy space is. We’re currently living in a studio […]
Inspired by a Master
Throughout history, artists and ateliers have promoted the challenge of painting a Master Copy as a tool for learning. The benefits, including technical and inspirational lessons, are numerous. For instance, the painter can actively focus on the Master artist’s thought process, problem solving and inspiration. I describe my first experience in painting a Master Copy […]
Life after art school in 3 words
How is life after art school? I’ll share three words with you. Well, OK, I’ll share 3 words in 2 different ways and reveal my MA roots, too. Wicked awesome exciting Wicked awesome scary Why is life after art school wicked awesome exciting? As one classmate described it, “I feel as if I am free!” […]
Developing a critical eye
Artists of any medium who develop a critical eye are sure to refine and improve their work. The ability to objectively look at what you are creating and assess it is 1) not for the faint of heart and 2) an essential skill to acquire. Here are a few things I am doing to help […]
Learning to Problem Solve on your own
Learning to problem solve may not seem consistent with being an artist. But, in fact, problem solving is exactly what being an artist is. Here I am writing again about characteristics of my teachers and classmates and many successful artists I have met. I shared other virtues of artists in recent posts on commitment, punctuality and […]
Endurance and punctuality
Endurance and punctuality are words you hear and associate with sporting events or maybe the military. Right? But when you think “artist” or “art school” do you think of the words endurance or punctuality? Probably not and that’s OK. Punctuality Before I wax on about the virtues of endurance, I need to come clean on […]
Commitment: a new perspective
Commitment may not seem to be a word associated with oil painting or artists or even art school. In fact, these days there are many other words associated with artists which I will not repeat here. Instead, I will write about some of the commitments people are making to attend this school. I suspect there […]