My latest paintings represent freedom and femininity, so I’ve been inspired to keep my characters super loose with soft faces and wild color. I’m having so much fun dripping acrylic inks and acrylic paints and mixing them with my other favorite supplies like spray paint, liquid watercolors, water-soluble pencil, paint pens and oil paintsticks to see what happens. All of this mess making has brought... Continue reading

When I try to be loose in my art, it never works. Sometimes it seems like it’s only the happy accidents and mistakes that lead to freedom in my paintings. The other day I spilled a brand new bottle of yellow orange azo ink onto my near finished painting. The color spread all across my table, down onto the floor and seeped into pages and... Continue reading

When I’m stuck with my art, I go back to playing with first layers and using my favorite cobalt teal or florescent pink hues. Whenever I play, it helps me feel calm and connected. Then I can follow my heart and paint without the pressure of everything having to be perfect. So I wanted to share some of my fun, free painting videos with you.... Continue reading

Do you find it difficult to be loose in your art? I do (a lot). A few days ago I was painting and I started to feel like all of my characters were looking too painted on. You know, like the girl looked like I’d cut her out and pasted her on top of an abstract background. I just couldn’t loosen up. There was no... Continue reading

My faces always begin with the same color palette – a circle of titanium white mixed with a flesh tone. Then a layer of Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold acrylic paint for shadows behind the eyes. This creates a surface with a bit of contrast so I can add my initial eyes and features. For cheeks, there’s a few supplies and colors I use in every... Continue reading

A few years ago I wrote a 300 page manuscript about enchanted fairytales. I wasn’t painting at the time. In fact, I hadn’t painted in years. All of my artwork from college had ended up in the basement. I didn’t see any point in painting anymore if I couldn’t do it full-time. I locked away that part of myself. Yet my creativity bubbled inside. So... Continue reading

If I’ve spent so much time trying to make one painting work, I usually feel less attached to another ruined painting and can take it in a new direction. Maybe I won’t get it right in that next try, but if I’m playing and not caring so much about how a face turns out, I can uncover something that does work. Then I can go... Continue reading

If I’m not liking my art, I have to cover it up. It’s usually the eyes or face that I don’t like, so I’ll often dump water on top and smudge the features out. This leaves some of the eyes and features behind and gives me a new place to begin, but since I can still see some old outlines, it’s a way to continue... Continue reading

Comparison can be soul-crushing. The other day, I happened to find myself scrolling online, and ended up completely feeling like all of my paintings were horrible. My first thought was, “I’ll never be able to paint anything beautiful again.” Then I felt so bad about my artwork I thought, “There’s no sense in even creating.” So often I look at other people’s artwork and wish... Continue reading