Do you find it difficult to be loose in your art? I do (a lot). A few days ago I was painting and I started to feel like all of my characters were looking too painted on. You know, like the girl looked like I’d cut her out and pasted her on top of an abstract background. I just couldn’t loosen up. There was no... Continue reading

My faces always begin with the same color palette – a circle of titanium white mixed with a flesh tone. Then a layer of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint for shadows behind the eyes. This creates a surface with a bit of contrast so I can add my initial eyes and features. For cheeks, there’s a few supplies and colors I use in every... Continue reading

A few years ago I wrote a 300 page manuscript about enchanted fairytales. I wasn’t painting at the time. In fact, I hadn’t painted in years. All of my artwork from college had ended up in the basement. I didn’t see any point in painting anymore if I couldn’t do it full-time. I locked away that part of myself. Yet my creativity bubbled inside. So... Continue reading

If I’ve spent so much time trying to make one painting work, I usually feel less attached to another ruined painting and can take it in a new direction. Maybe I won’t get it right in that next try, but if I’m playing and not caring so much about how a face turns out, I can uncover something that does work. Then I can go... Continue reading

If I’m not liking my art, I have to cover it up. It’s usually the eyes or face that I don’t like, so I’ll often dump water on top and smudge the features out. This leaves some of the eyes and features behind and gives me a new place to begin, but since I can still see some old outlines, it’s a way to continue... Continue reading

Comparison can be soul-crushing. The other day, I happened to find myself scrolling online, and ended up completely feeling like all of my paintings were horrible. My first thought was, “I’ll never be able to paint anything beautiful again.” Then I felt so bad about my artwork I thought, “There’s no sense in even creating.” So often I look at other people’s artwork and wish... Continue reading

I’ve been taking some time to really slow down and indulge in being creative. All of my experiences and emotions go into my paintings. Part of my creative process is trying new things and covering up what I don’t like, which is forever changing and evolving just like everything else in life. Whenever I create, I only keep out the art supplies I use most.... Continue reading

A few days ago I was painting and I started to feel like all of my characters were looking too painted on. You know, like the girl looked like I’d cut her out and pasted her on top of an abstract background. There didn’t seem to be any freedom or flow. Everything looked rigid and tight. Do you ever find it difficult to try something... Continue reading

I’ve been soaking up all sorts of new inspirations on my artist residency these last few weeks. And one of the things I’ve realized is that I’d fallen into a comfort zone with my artwork. I was getting so comfortable adding fingerprints, dots and swirls to my backgrounds, that when I started to create areas with lots of solid color (inspired by the ocean and... Continue reading