When I’m stuck on a face, I often set aside my brushes and fingerpaint. This keeps me unattached to my character rather than getting into my head and “thinking” the eyes and features should look a certain way or be a certain shape. Yet even after lots of layers, the eyes can still look too perfect and painted on. That’s when I make a mess.... Continue reading

When I’m at a creative block, there’s no way I can be loose in my art. A few days ago, I was painting and I started to feel like I’d never get my painting right. I just couldn’t loosen up and let go. Everything looked too rigid and tight. Everything felt like a struggle. That’s when I take a step away and start to play.... Continue reading

One of my biggest inspirations has always been owls and we’ve had a pair of owls visiting our woods in the evenings. When I first started painting owls in 2009, I’d no clue what to paint. But when I stood back to look at my first layers, I distinctly saw the outline of an owl and they’ve been one of my favorite things to paint... Continue reading

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