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
This video is one of the backgrounds we create for a project in my online workshop Serendipity 2 – Loosening Up With Mixed Media. In this 9 minute video I share one of my favorite mixed media techniques for creating a lusciously layered background. In class, we’ll layer all sorts of art supplies – oil paintsticks, watercolors, pastel, ink, acrylics, pencil, papers and pen. You’ll... Continue reading
One of the ways that I loosen up and stay creative every day is by painting backgrounds. Every painting I create begins with covering up the white space, which is my time to play. I try and go back to whatever techniques and supplies I am most excited about so that each piece beging with fun and joy. Then my intention is that the joy... Continue reading
I love mixing acrylic paints and inks together to get unusual colors that I then repeat throughout a collection. The more fluid colors are perfect over papers or patterned backgrounds. If you’re looking to add more whimsy and freedom to your artwork, don’t cover everything up in your painting. Instead, when you don’t like something, add a thin layer of ink on top to redefine... Continue reading
I used to be afraid to raise my hand in class. I’d learned that my ways of thinking and seeing were different from everyone else. When I shared an idea, I was often laughed at or told it was impossible. So I learned to stay quiet and be shy. When I was in the third grade we had an art project where we were supposed... Continue reading
So often I get stuck with my paintings. I’d been feeling really impatient with my paintings. I felt that if I didn’t finish a piece within a few days, the time that I had spent creating was not worthwhile. My paintings always take lots of layers before I can get to anything I like and really let go. But I started to find that I was... Continue reading
My new studio is finally finished! We moved into our new home last year with 10 acres of pine woods and a detached garage that had an unfinished loft space above – perfect for a studio. Over the spring and summer my husband Brian and I worked on the construction of the interior and I cannot even say how exciting it has been to move... Continue reading
Lately I’ve been going back to painting owls. For awhile I had been creating these very renaissance-style portraits with soft, realistic faces and incredible hair. I enjoyed that I could make them look very human, but still full of magic and color. While I still adore creating these flower girls, I found that these paintings were missing something. After countless attempts in the studio, many... Continue reading
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