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
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
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