“Art is all around you” street painting: Asheville, North Carolina Easter week found me away from the studio on a trip to Asheville, North Carolina. There, my sister Josephine and I, along with our very understanding spouses, spent time researching family history, going to cemeteries, and visiting the local county historical society. Genealogy is one of my sister’s long held passions and one of […]
On Holiday: A Visit to Asheville Read More »
“A woman must have money and a room of her own. . .” Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own First published in October 1929, Virginia Woolf’s extended essay, A Room of One’s Own, has served as a feminist rallying cry and a raised banner for what artists need in order to accomplish their calling. For Virginia understood that
A Table of One’s Own Read More »
“Art results when there is nothing that can be added, but when there is nothing that can be taken away.” James O. Collins “Professor MacDonald, how long will this painting take me to do?” Now and then one of my students will ask the “how long” question. I know they are hoping that the answer is
The Sometimes Long and Winding Road Read More »
“Beep, beep.” The Roadrunner When I was pulling together the Mixed Media Gallery, I was surprised by the number of times, and the diverse ways, that I have used a particular subject matter. Among the many instances is this mono print, and a three-in-one colored pencil drawing: Plus, there is this gallery installation, and then this guy shows
Remember that all is opinion. Marcus Aurelius Next week I take off my artist beret and replace it with my juror’s cap, as I once again adjudicate the spring exhibit for the Downriver Arts and Craft Guild. I will speak to the assembled membership, offer a quick critique for each of the pieces submitted, (a modest number easily covered
This week I entered two paintings for consideration for the Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors spring exhibition. Unique to this group is that the jurying process is by viewing the actual work. After an hour or two wait, you learn the results: thumbs up or thumbs down. I brought these two lovelies, both of which have received
Sometime You Win, and Sometimes You Live to Try Another Day Read More »
It is a happy talent to know how to play. Ralph Waldo Emerson Okay, okay I throw in the paint brush! Car problems, being under the weather, family obligations and other mundane issues, meant limited time spent at “The Office”, and it feels as though nothing noteworthy was accomplished. Still, life offered a lesson worth sharing. This week, the Muse
What do generations of chefs, from the late Julia Child to the reigning celeb-chefs, know that can help artists make the most of their studio time? Three simple words: mise-en-place Mise-en-place is a French phrase meaning “putting in place” and refers to the system of prepping and gathering all the tools and ingredients needed to complete
Everybody, Let’s Mise-en-Place! Read More »
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not, and I repeat, NOT, a figurative painter. I went down this path when my beginning painting class had an assignment to paint self-portraits. The search was on for a color palette that would use a straight forward, limited number of colors. It was down that path that
Well, hello Anders! Read More »
“Because the most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day & trying.” ― Steven Pressfield, The War of Art Every 15 weeks my routine goes awry in a big way. That’s when a new semester begins and, with the craziness that is life, it sometimes feels as though everything is
Hitting the Hi-Whirl Button Read More »
