Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and posts about my Free Painting Workshop! It’s been wonderful to see you all enjoying this gift. I’ve been getting so many questions about which of my classes to take next, so here’s a bit more info about each of my online courses along with some fun tutorials for you. In 2009, I founded The... Continue reading

For years, I stopped painting. Art was the thing I loved to do growing up and in high school, but I didn’t know how to make money from being creative. All of my early work ended up in the basement or trash. I felt like my creativity didn’t matter. I went to college to study biology, but I couldn’t stay away from the art room.... Continue reading

Do you ever find it hard to cover up your paintings? I do (all the time). Then sometimes a happy accident happens and it makes me stop and realize I just need to let go. But so often that’s hard to remember when you’re in the moment. The other day when this happened, I was working on this new painting (she’s called ‘Messenger of Hope,’... Continue reading

Being loose and free in my art is something I’ve learned to do. Having fun and playing as I paint allows me to capture the soul of my characters. But sometimes I need to get out of my own way and start playing again so I can stop thinking so much and really uncover the beauty. The other day when this happened, I was in... Continue reading

Whenever I try to be loose with my faces, it never works. If I’m trying, then I try too hard, which completely stops me from letting go. Sometimes it seems like it’s only the happy accidents and mistakes that lead to freedom in my paintings. This happened when I was in the middle of this painting (she’s called ‘Sacred Alone… the original is sold, but... Continue reading

I quit doing art after college. I never thought it’d be possible to be a full-time artist. But after I lost my job in 2009, I took the summer to renew my spirit and started painting again. I’d opened an Etsy shop because I’d had the dream of selling my art. Yet I didn’t feel brave enough to share my paintings with the world. For... Continue reading

Every painting has an ugly stage. So whenever I’m stuck with a face, I look back at my progress photos. I take photos of every painting as I create. That way, I’m reminded that each painting has this ugly stage. Otherwise it’s too easy to fool myself into thinking a painting should fall right into place. That never happens. It takes a lot of mistakes,... Continue reading

Do you ever find it hard to cover up your paintings? I do (all the time). Then sometimes a happy accident happens and it makes me stop and realize I just need to let go. The other day when this happened, I was working on this new painting (she’s called ‘Do More Of What Makes You Happy,’ 11” x 14” on canvas). I’d painted over... Continue reading

Do you find it difficult to be loose in your art? I do (a lot). A few weeks ago I was painting and I started to feel like all of my characters were looking too perfect. You know, like the woman’s eyes and face looked pasted on and she just didn’t flow. There was no freedom or whimsy. I’d been trying lots of new techniques... Continue reading