Last week's vacation cruising Canal du Midi in southern France started with two days in Barcelona before taking a train to find our boat. That proved challenging, given the rail strike in France – more on that in blogs to come. Since we spent our honeymoon in Spain, we were excited about getting back to Barcelona. Its architecture is […]
There are several questions people usually ask about my pastel paintings. If the questioner is standing in front of a painting while talking to me, question #1 is "how do you work with pastels?" If not, it's "where can I see your paintings?" They also ask about the scenes depicted, which usually leads to a discussion about travel. Since […]
Birds of a feather is a trite way to say it, but I am truly blessed to have some amazingly creative, community-minded, high energy friends. Better yet, they are willing to share their skills, connections, time and knowledge with me, inspiring me to greater heights. Recently, I had dinner with a friend who has a corporate […]
Maybe it's because artists tend to look more carefully than others do, or maybe it's because my art is about sharing how exciting it felt to be somewhere. For whatever reason, I seem to play tour guide and economic development booster more than most people (unless they get paid to do it.) It would be […]
Not to sound too New Age-y, but sometimes you just have to put the intention out there and then watch carefully for the universe to respond with an opportunity. After devoting a lot of time in the last few years to volunteer board work, I recently decided to focus on my art business. At a farmers market in March, I noticed […]
An article about awe, citing everyone from a therapist, to a theoretical physicist (whatever that is!) to a UNICEF exec, got me thinking about what inspires and soothes us. For some, it's the immensity of the universe. For others, it's a cathedral, a spectacular sunset, a hundred voices lifted in song, an ancient tree, or a piece of art. […]
One thing I love almost as much as art is social psychology. I'll spare you details of how I invented a major in consumer psych so I'd be allowed to take college courses in art, marketing, psych, design, advertising, architecture and communications from six departments in four different schools of the university. Suffice it to say I'm fascinated by how colors and shapes […]
On the muggiest August days I remind myself to enjoy it, because we'll soon have February's cold. Now it's time for vice-versa – winter has its pleasures, too. There's sipping Scotch or a warming Malbec in front of the fire, and enjoying a novel when snowy roads mean no guilt about missing events. Not to mention making stew, […]
People often say the secret to doing something well is having the right tools. For an artist, besides training and quiet time to focus, that includes quality materials and an appropriate work space. So I was thrilled when the holidays brought a surprise gift of an easel. It was the impetus needed to finish several paintings that have been sitting […]
People often ask how I can give up my paintings and whether it feels like giving up a child. Well, never having had that sad experience I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing it's quite a bit less traumatic. In fact, it's a relief when my work goes to a good home, with someone who loves it. […]
