Huh? Everything you read these days seems to extol the virtues of being “in the present moment”. I’m not questioning the value of being attentive, appreciative and aware. In fact, a few weeks ago, I suggested some ways to use art-making to deepen your appreciation for the beauty and wonder in your everyday routine and…
When I’m laying a wash, I want to focus my attention on creating color mingles, wet-in-wet effects and edges that are just the right degree of softness. So many things that will only happen if the timing is just right! I want design and drawing and color all worked out ahead of time, so I don’t…
The 30-Doodles-in-30-Days Challenge is drawing to a close, but one thing I have discovered is that everyone has enjoyed having a daily doodling suggestion (a “prompt”) as a creative springboard. Since I’ve been on a spiral kick myself lately, I invite you to create a “doodle” (or doodles) based on a spiral or spirals. (Remember,…
Last week, I talked about the power of “doodling” or art-making to focus your full attention on a sensation or experience. This is one of the main reasons I make art. Not to hang something on the wall, but to enhance my experience of life. Sketches while traveling or walking the woods, watercolor washes capturing…
Did you enjoy following along on the “giant” painting? I’m in the planning stages of another large multi-panel piece like that. We’re still working out the details, but I’m very excited to have been asked to do another one! I’ll tell you more soon, but I can tell you that I’m busy studying koi, getting…
This must be one of the questions I get asked the most often! I used to mat and frame my watercolors. From time to time someone would ask if I could frame them without glass. I knew of some watercolorists who were painting on canvas or boards that were specially prepared to be absorbent enough…
I want to talk to you for a minute about mindfulness. Wait! Before you hit “delete”, please hang in with me for just a little bit. I promise I will get back to art and creativity in a minute. Mindfulness is trendy. Everywhere you look there are articles on the health benefits of a meditation practice….
One of the joys of watercolor is the ease of cleanup. In fact, you don’t really have to clean up at all, if you don’t feel like it. Nothing terrible happens if you just wipe off your brush, put it down and walk away. Well, mostly—do you know the right way to put down a watercolor…
I may not post my painting for the 30-paintings-in-30-days challenge until this evening, or maybe tomorrow. While the first few days of the challenge have been going on, I’ve also been completing this second large triptych for Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, MN. The three panels are 24×18″, 24×12″ and 24×12″. Both triptychs are for the…
What would you do, if only . . . ? New Year’s resolutions . . . we love to hate them, but we make them. Even when we resolve not to make resolutions, there’s still that feeling that now that the holidays are over, we’ll get our lives in hand again, and this year do…
Ulp! It’s a scary moment when I finally make the decision where to divide one of these “starts” into the individual panels. No going back! But, I’m happy with where things stand. Even though the paper edges weren’t square, so I’m going to barely have enough height on the first panel to mount the work!…
Isn’t it a wonderful quirk of nature that just as the coldest months are about to begin, the days also begin to lengthen? The winter solstice is this Sunday night. After that, the days start lengthening toward spring. Why not take a little time from the rush and stress of the winter holidays and simply…
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