Category Archives: Uncategorized

Picasso famously said: ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up”. He also said: ”It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”  … Continue reading →

Can you believe how long it takes to wrap presents? It has taken days and days. It makes me wonder how it can measure in terms positive productivity. I’m a big fan of gifts bags, which take a quarter of the … Continue reading →

Sitting in a restaurant, driving to work, walking the dog, cleaning the house, what do you see? What are the images that pop into your head when asked that question? Whatever flashed in the mind’s eye in each of us … Continue reading →

My studio mate, Angelina, is an oil painter.   She was classically trained and studied in Italy. Her work evokes the style of John Singer Sargent—lush, expressive, juicy. A painting session for her can include the use of 3 or 4 … Continue reading →

Last week a noteworthy message nudged me—twice. First I bumped into that beautiful commencement speech by Bhanu Kapil (sent to you all) given to MFA grads at Goddard College. (http://thewriterintheworld.com/bhanu-kapils-goddard-college-mfaw-commencement-speech/ ) Her story is of failure, hers and her fathers, … Continue reading →

Why is figure work so exciting for some and so daunting for others? No question-throughout art history working from the model has been an essential part of learning. Artists would pay for a model before buying dinner.  But it is … Continue reading →

Think about what happens when you set out to start a painting. What is your approach? Do you have an idea you want to express, something clever, political or something fun you thought of while doing something else? Are you … Continue reading →

In researching what to write about still lifes I’ve come across many essays on the subject that are mostly boring. There’s the essay on the Dutch tradition from the 1600’s. And then there’s the Spanish and Italian tradition that date from … Continue reading →

A simple arrangement of objects. In French, “natur mort”. In a two dimensional picture plane we refer to it as a “still life”. This modest idea has spanned centuries, from adorning the inside of Egyptian tombs to provide the dead … Continue reading →

Well, I’m exhausted! Unbelievable! Unbelievable was the turnout at our annual open studio in 100-degree heat. Unbelievable how crowded the hottest rooms in the house were. Unbelievable that the entire group set-up took a little over 90 minutes and clean-up … Continue reading →