It’s felt incredibly difficult to be motivated or inspired to pick up a paintbrush these days. When we live in an environment of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future, how can we feel any motivation to create? So how do you make art when the world is on fire? And should you even try?
Read MoreWhat do you think of when you imagine abundance? Imagine your permission slip to make the art you want to make and be the artist you want to be. What would it read? Now imagine that the setbacks and obstacles that you're struggling with now are the exact conditions you need to become that artist.
Imagine writing your biography in ten years and starting with, "2020 was a turning point for..."
You know it can be.
Read MoreSome of my most spontaneous adventures have started with a mistake. A wrong turn, a forgotten step, knocking on the wrong door. A taxi driver, unloading my wet palette and smearing beautiful paint all over the bag that held it, prompted the paint miser in me to wipe that fresh paint onto a sheet of paper and try to make a painting out of it.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed that when something takes a long time to achieve, it becomes valuable? The things that mean the most to me are the things in which I’ve invested my time, things I’ve sacrificed for, and given myself fully to. It’s interesting because it’s actually changed the way I value my art.
Read MoreHow do you free yourself from becoming a slave to the reference photo? What is the secret that allows some artists to create such dynamic interpretations of the landscape that really look like works of art, while the rest of us struggle along trying to paint something that “looks like the photo?”
Read MoreIn the body of work that I have created over the years, the paintings that stand the passage of time are the ones that felt like a risk to show to others. The art that, for whatever reason, I shared in fear and trembling, not knowing that if what I saw in that painting was something that others would recognize or reject. I have never regretted stepping out of hiding; what I have gained has been far greater than anything I might have lost.
Read MoreHave you been thinking about teaching art online, but you haven’t yet made significant progress on seeing that dream become reality? You are not alone! In this post I want to share three very actionable (and FREE) tools that I used to make my first thousand dollars in course enrollments and start my online art instruction career.
Read MoreOne painting is not a definitive statement of my identity as an artist, and by setting my art free from this burden, I can simply paint as a way of saying, "Look. Do you see what I see?"
Read MoreIf you’re feeling the call to teach art online, or if you are teaching and have had to cancel workshops due to current travel restrictions due to Covid-19, you might be thinking seriously about teaching online. There are a lot more resources out there than there were in 2013, and you are likely feeling a little overwhelmed!
Read MoreI’m so excited to share this list of artists who are offering free online lessons in watercolor right now!
Read MoreI don't always feel joyful and free when I paint, but that's the mindset I look for when I paint. I do this by choosing to focus on the process over the product; it's not about turning out a perfect painting, but about creating a nurturing painting process. It's about making one beautiful color play on the paper, and then adding another, and another! Painting really is as simple as that.
Read MoreFor many years, my security as an artist came from painting realistic paintings. Being able to paint something identifiable, something that could be measured as skilled by anyone felt like the safest way to create good art.
I would often look at abstract art, simple, powerful paintings and wonder how the artist could be brave enough to present something so hard to identify. How did the artist know that way of painting was for them? How did they not feel bound to make art other people would understand?
I didn’t want to paint weird stuff, but I craved the freedom that the most innovative artists seemed to channel so effortlessly.
…painting with the distraction of TV, cramped in my seat with a board on my lap wasn’t really the best way to create a quality painting process and be mindful of the creativity that would enrich my paintings. It’s little wonder that my paintings from that era were stiff and controlled. There was a lot of tension between the paint and the artist, and it shows in my work from those days.
Read MoreWant to learn how much water to use to create magical effects? Paint and watch, and then do it again tomorrow. Familiarity makes the act of painting feel instinctive, and while you can learn a lot from a great teacher, actually doing will create the muscle memory that makes a skill yours.
Read MoreI used to feel a little self-deprecating about my status as a self-taught artist, but over the years I’ve realized that every artist is self-taught. If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that everyone can become their own favorite artist. Here’s how to find out what stage you’re in and what you can do next.
Read MoreA few days ago in my Facebook group, my friend Mila Renault, who is an amazing watercolor artist and a beautiful soul from New Zealand, posted a painting by artist Vjekoslav Nemesh; a prayer for rain for Australia, and asked us: What if we all prayed for rain for Australia?
Read MoreI spent some time today putting together a video look back at the year's paintings. This is really just a sampler because I really failed this year to do a good job of documenting works created in my studio or in classes, so it took a little struggle to track down a good sampling of the paintings I've worked on this year. Some you may recognize from lessons, demonstrations and past posts:
Read MoreIn my watercolor community we are talking all month about how art and beauty fill our lives in a series of posts I'm titling, "The Gifts of Watercolor" but it's really the gift of Life, Love & Beauty.
Read MoreI spend so much of my painting time simply working to get away from my own expectations. I know that there is a place of freedom, where a painting comes alive before the brush even hits the paper. It’s a magical place, and like all magical places, there’s no straightforward route to arrival. Sometimes the wardrobe is just a wardrobe, and other times it leads to a wintry forest in another world, and I don’t get to decide when that happens.
Read More
