Blog

As always happens with series, each new painting teaches me more about the subject. I discover ways to create depth, I notice new color shifts, and begin to see how to simplify. In my experience, new iterations don't beget repetitiveness; rather, they branch out in different directions and inspire new ideas. [...]

The study of a master work puts the observer in the head of another artist, which cannot help but change one's perspective. And a fresh perspective is one of the most valuable ways to learn. [...]

Yesterday, small new frames in hand, I headed to the basement with a special kind of treasure in mind. I was looking for fresh work, or more accurately, fresh eyes. Sometimes all it takes to discover treasure lurking under your nose is a fresh perspective and a willingness to repurpose. [...]

Instead of following a map, I had to just start looking and listening and responding to what I saw. What a discovery: I became much more attuned to my senses, noticed colors, edges, shapes throughout the painting process in a way I don't always--because I am thinking about where I'm going, not where I am now. [...]

In the studio I love working large, but when I'm outside I must scale down, and—despite my fabulous surroundings—I seem to forget every time that I would do much better to scale down my focus as well. Paying attention to where my interest really lies, and allowing myself to start again and take the time to develop my focus carefully gives me a more manageable, more exciting composition, and a better result. [...]

Sometimes I love a painting right from the start, and send it joyfully into the world. And then again sometimes a painting will seem to linger, leaning uncertainly against my studio wall. Here's the story of how I gained perspective on one recent painting. By literally giving it the brush off, I discovered its true beauty. [...]

It is virtually always more important to use the correct value in an area than to use the correct color. This idea, once considered, is so freeing that it opens up one's use of colors exponentially. [...]

To artists, the world is a potential painting. So it makes sense that we find some of our richest material in the familiar. [...]

One thing is certain: a safe painting will never be a wow painting. High-impact paintings take risks. They make strong statements with mood, color, composition, texture, design, edge. So in order to paint a wow painting, try letting go of your fear. [...]

Taking a painting to the next level requires more than a good plan. It's got to mean something to you. Simply put, if you want your painting to elicit a strong response, you'd better feel a strong connection to it yourself. [...]

Not just physical illness, but any big life change often brings with it a lull or a fallow period in even the most active and devoted artist's practice--a big move, an emotional setback, a family crisis, a job stress can all slow or stop creative production. Just like an athlete, an artist can't expect to perform every day at peak levels if she's not in top condition, for whatever reason. Creative energy must be nurtured and guarded, and given time to rest when life gets in the way. [...]

Every day of painting is a good day, even the failures. [...]