Nope, this isn't a philosophical discussion about race, but a brief explanation of why I never use those colors in my paintings. Mostly because they aren't really colors. Black is the absence of color or light. This is the opposite of what I hope to convey in my art, where I want to show energy through […]
Irony is a wonderful thing, and for those who know me well, the following announcement fits the bill. I'm someone who loves to quote "so many books, so little time" in response to whether I've watched a particular TV show. Therefore, the fact that I was interviewed on TV about my art is beyond ironic. […]
Sane people were horrified by the recent carnage in Nice, when a murderer deliberately drove a truck through a crowd. My mental image of the French Riviera city of Nice, and specifically of the Promenade des Anglais, is far more pleasant. Completing some paintings of southern France became art therapy for me, helping to erase the news stories from my […]
Some of the simplest and most fun things to paint are fruit, vegetables and nudes. They're actually very similar. All are rounded shapes that challenge me to show volume, that are pleasing to the eye and that appeal to people on a primal level. My "still-ish life paintings" – because everything I paint has energy and doesn't really sit still […]
Painting workshops are an awful lot like corporate training seminars, which always comes as an unpleasant surprise to me. Yet it seems I have to learn this lesson every couple of years, when a workshop sounds too tempting to pass up. Having attended – and managed – many seminars in my previous life, I wasn't expecting the similarities. It's hard […]
Light and color can change mood, soothe and heal. A recent article in Pastel Journal reminded me of the documented therapeutic effects of visual art. It can change brain wave activity, improve immune response, or shift you from fear and stress to calm and relaxation. That, in turn, made me recall a consulting client who had developed […]
The Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site, crosses southern France to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. Commissioned by Louis XIV, it is an amazing engineering and architectural feat comprising 300+ year old stone bridges and locks. The small villages alongside it are pretty, the baguettes were fresh, and I got hundreds of photos to paint from. Miles […]
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 […]
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 […]
