Lately, I’ve been struggling to stay loose and carefree in my artwork. Sometimes I have to force myself not to outline my character and give it complete definition, especially when I’m painting my flower girls. I’ve found, just like when painting a character’s eyes, their body looks more natural when you don’t draw in or paint every line. Less is so often more. Yet keeping... Continue reading
It soothes my soul to paint freely with whimsy. I’ve been finishing up a few larger paintings, and creating some new imaginary characters. I keep envisioning all of these characters in a storybook filled with their magical tales, so I’m trying to write and record a few. I’ll share them with you soon! I’ve also been experimenting with spray paint again. I generally add oil... Continue reading
I don’t really believe in balance. I found that trying to achieve any sort of balance in art and life was completely stressing me out. The balance never happened. Instead, I’m learning to embrace the ebb and flow and expect change, which means I’ve deepened my painting practice. Creating is one of the things I know I can always come back to for grounding whenever... Continue reading
Lately I’ve been painting a lot more whimsical animals and colorful characters with big, dramatic eyes and faces. Most of my paintings begin with the eyes, but they are always the hardest thing to paint and I can never stop until they resonate with my soul. I begin with a few colored fingerprints on a solid background. Then add in my eye outline and definition... Continue reading
I used to get paralyzed whenever I’d get to a blank canvas. It was so intimidating – I didn’t know what to paint or how to even begin to cover up the white space. That’s why now I start every painting with a playful background. This gives me a place to begin where there’s no right or wrong. Most importantly, it also gets me to... Continue reading
Art was the thing I loved to do growing up and in high school. But when I graduated college, I didn’t know how to make money from being creative. I felt like my creativity didn’t matter, so I stopped painting for more than ten years. I went to work as an editorial assistant at a newspaper, occasionally writing a music review or gallery feature, but... Continue reading
I’m preparing for my annual creative sabbatical away from Wisconsin where I soak up a little sunshine and all sorts of amazing new inspirations. My intention is to take these imaginary creatures, cats and feminine characters that I’ve been painting and tell their stories. I’m excited to see where that leads me next. All I know is that these new paintings have been melting my heart... Continue reading
I paint every day and it usually takes 3-7 days for me to finish a painting. I usually have a few that I’m working on at once, so as one background dries, I start a character on another piece. But once I find a character and connect with the painting, I keep working on it until it’s complete. All of these pieces are inspired by... Continue reading
A few years ago, I wrote a novel about a magical world. I was one of 14 writers accepted into a 6 week writing workshop on the east coast. And when I finished my novel, I flew out to Washington DC to meet with my ideal literary agent. But then I got super scared and burned out. Because of that burn-out, I needed to heal... Continue reading
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about all of the ways I stay inspired. Having fun and learning to let go have become essential to my creative process. For me that means slowing down and keeping calm, reading in the sunshine, stepping outside at midnight to watch for shooting stars, doodling, taking long walks in the woods, having bonfires in the backyard, going barefoot in... Continue reading
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