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

My characters begin with the eyes, but they’re always the hardest thing to paint. Oftentimes my character looks nothing like it did when I started. It takes lots of beautiful mistakes and so many ugly stages before I can even begin to figure out the best posture, profile and facial gestures. Yet whenever I start a painting, my mind tells me I should get it... Continue reading

Hello! I’m writing to you today from my studio in the woods where I’ve been out in the garden, working on a few new portrait paintings and lots of watercolors too. The flowers are blooming like magic and I’ve been waking up in the early mornings to photograph the sky and clouds. Summertime is one of my biggest inspirations, so I’m always taking photos for... Continue reading

Happy June! I’m writing today from my studio balcony whereI’ve been spending so much time painting a few larger pieces! It’s such a fun experience to paint barefoot outside and return to that place of blissful creativity and completely reminds me of being a little girl. When I was little, I used to lay out all of these sheets of paper and drip watercolors all... Continue reading

I’m so crazy excited… today I get to share with you something I’ve been working on for a very long time. In lots of ways I created the Portrait Painting Masterclass for myself – because I needed to simplify my creative practice. I’d just been finding that showing up to paint felt too hard. I want to feel joyful and creative and I want it... Continue reading

Hello! I’m writing to you from my studio balcony, where I’ve been doing these daily watercolor paintings for my new class… It’s the Portrait Painting Masterclass and if you’d like to learn more about what’s included, and how it works, you can learn more HERE . The watercolor portraits we’re creatng in this class are so calming and soothing to create. They’re like meditation. They... Continue reading