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

I’ve always loved art and have been creative. But I stopped painting and creating for years after college. I didn’t want to do anything creative if I couldn’t do it for a living. It was just too painful. So I hopped from job to job to job until I was fired from my favorite job as a landscaper in 2008. I started painting again to... Continue reading

Do you struggle to be loose in your art? I do (all the time). I take photos of my process to remind myself there’s always an ugly stage. But recently I’ve also liked taking photos at stages of a painting where I’m happy with it, but still feel it’s not finished. That reminds me that it’s okay to let go and paint over something I... Continue reading