When I begin a painting, I don’t have a plan. To get started, I create the background with 3-4 colorful layers (sometimes more). Then I sketch a loose face and add more color. From there, the face completely changes as I add more layers. The other day, I was working on this new painting (she’s called ‘Guardian Of Dreams’ 12” x 16” on stretched canvas).... Continue reading

For years I stopped painting. All of my early artwork ended up in the basement or trash, so I thought, “What good is it to paint?” I never thought anyone would want to see my work. I went to college to study biology, but I couldn’t stay away from the art room. I couldn’t help myself from painting on everything and anything. I found a... Continue reading

Do you ever just want to throw your painting away? This happens to me (a lot). Usually it’s the eyes or face I want to completely get rid of and cover up. Oftentimes I’ve overworked them and they look way too perfect and painted on. That’s when I dump water on top of the face and scrub away the layers until just a few lines... Continue reading

Lately I’ve been getting stuck after I paint my face and eyes. I usually paint the eyes first, adding all of their depth and detail until they’re almost complete. But sometimes it helps to keep things simple. The other day when this happened, I was working on this new painting (she’s called ‘Delight In Dreams,’ 11” x 14” on stretched canvas). I’ve found I return... Continue reading

All of my early paintings ended up in the basement or trash. It hurt my heart to not create, yet I buried my desire and, for years, I stopped painting. But I learned I couldn’t not be an artist. The other day I went back to a BIG painting at my easel (which always makes me take myself too seriously). I just couldn’t let go.... Continue reading

Every painting has an ugly stage. It’s that part in the process where I feel like giving up. Sometimes I’ll get to a point in my painting where I just want to paint over the entire thing. This especially happens when I’m pushing myself to try something new. But I try to remember, it’s not about getting that one painting perfect. If I let go,... Continue reading

Mistakes and ugly stages always happen while I’m painting. But whenever I go back to my favorite art supplies and techniques, I feel the freedom to let go, play and make a beautiful mess. Then a whole new world opens up and magic happens. The other day when I got stuck with this new painting, I looked back at my past paintings for inspiration. I’d... Continue reading

Oftentimes when I’m stuck with my art, I look back at the progress photos from a past painting. Most of the time, 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 as I create, my mind tells... Continue reading

Whenever I start a new painting, I have to cover up the white space. This helps me loosen up before I begin my character. My characters begin with the eyes, but they’re always the hardest part to paint. It takes a lot of mistakes and layers before they even begin to resonate with my heart. I start with a few fingerprint dots, then add more... Continue reading