I used to be afraid to cover up my art. I didn’t want to ruin a painting. I feared I wouldn’t be able to create anything better. Having photos of my art in progress helps me understand what works and what doesn’t, where I’ve gone too far and how I got to a finished painting I love. It reminds me there’s always an ugly stage.... Continue reading

Whenever I allow myself to have fun, my paintings come to life. Sometimes all I need is to get out of my comfort zone and start having fun again so I can stop thinking so much and really get into a flow. That’s when a whole new world opens up and creativity is set free. The other day when this happened I was in the... Continue reading

I sat down with the lovely Kate Shepherd for The Creative Genius Podcast to talk about my process and journey to becoming a full-time artist. I hope it gives you a bit of inspiration! We talk about the power of intuition, embracing playfulness, and overcoming false beliefs to unleash the infinite creative intelligence within us. How creativity can be a potent force for healing and... Continue reading

Whenever I’m struggling to be loose in my art, I have to take a step away. I often look back at my past paintings and discover little things I love: a stripe of fluorescent pink oil paintstick beside a fingerprint of pyrrole red, a splash of pink ink in the corner, or a rainbow of water soluble oil pastels. Then I repeat those elements in... Continue reading

I started out painting abstracts. But it wasn’t until I added whimsical characters to my artwork that I finally felt connected to my paintings. When I add my characters, there’s something in the eyes that hits my heart. I feel a connection that I don’t want to paint over. It’s almost like looking into a mirror and I find that I paint until I feel... Continue reading

The owl featured in my Free Painting Workshop is one of my favorites to create, especially when I’m stuck and need to paint a character with its eyes closed (this makes painting eyes so much easier). But lately, I’ve been painting a lot of characters with their eyes open. One of my favorite ways to begin these big eyes is to start with two fingerprints... Continue reading

I’ve always loved art and have been creative. But I stopped painting and creating for years after college. I didn’t want to do anything creative if I couldn’t do it for a living. It was just too painful. So I hopped from job to job to job until I was fired from my favorite job as a landscaper in 2008. I started painting again to... Continue reading

Do you struggle to be loose in your art? I do (all the time). I take photos of my process to remind myself there’s always an ugly stage. But recently I’ve also liked taking photos at stages of a painting where I’m happy with it, but still feel it’s not finished. That reminds me that it’s okay to let go and paint over something I... Continue reading

Hello Friends! I’m writing to you today from my backyard garden where the sun is shining and the lilies are in full bloom. The baby birds are chirping and I’m enjoying my coffee, the peace and the quiet inspiration that comes when I just sit, look and listen. I’ve also been editing a few bonus painting videos for my new online class the Portrait Painting... Continue reading