Some people travel to relax on a beach, to try famous restaurants, or to ski and hike. I travel for inspiration. The best trips stimulate both my brain and my creative juices. It seems I need this kind of travel to be able to paint. This past year, we experienced Havana, London and the Greek island […]
My paintings are normally quite vivid, in keeping with my preference for a high energy, colorful life and my desire to share that with others. Sometimes, however, a place to rest the eye, and a sense of wonder about life's smaller gems, is needed. That's perhaps particularly true in these turbulent, stressful times. So I found myself […]
People often ask what style my paintings are and I sometimes stumble to explain. Expressionistic colorscapes is the phrase I've coined, but it usually requires clarification. In a nutshell, I try to show how a particular experience or place felt, versus simply showing what my camera saw. Expressionism ls a style of art, like Impressionism or Realism. Impressionism uses […]
Besides the obvious benefits – fascinating cultures, scenery, architecture, history, art, and novel experiences with story telling rights – travel can also be good for you in the food department. Who knew? It's a bit counter-intuitive, but an article in my MD's newsletter convinced me I can vouch for at least Europe and South America – no diet needed! Got […]
Painting is certainly therapeutic for me. The news today seems consistently negative, from name calling, bullying and threats, to innocent people mowed down, shot, or blown up. Art provides a counterpoint to all that, a reminder that there is beauty in the world to which we can choose to pay attention, vs. all the nastiness. […]
Color, cars, Cuba! I recently spent a long weekend in Havana, satisfying an urge that's been itching me for years. My hope was to immerse myself in a colorful, energizing place that would inspire a new series of paintings, and it did. What an experience! Nothing really adequately prepared me, though I read guide books and […]
Preparing for the opening reception of an art exhibit requires basic project management skills. You have to consider lead times for production (postcard invitations, flyers and ads, the actual paintings), logistics (photographing, framing and schlepping the art) and supplies (labels, picture hooks or putty, brochures, cocktail napkins.) You have to address human resources (help with hors d'oeuvres, bar-tending, […]
It seems I paint the way I cook, decorate and garden, which makes sense in that they are all creative endeavors. To my mind, they all require imagination, which sometimes works and is sometimes less successful, but you learn from it. While you can do those activities without creativity – follow a recipe exactly, plant what somebody […]
If you think you're not a poetry fan, you haven't read Billy Collins. Whether waxing eloquent about jazz, old age, travel, Three Blind Mice, or the annoying linguistic mannerisms of teenage girls, he points out the humor in everyday situations. This quote from a recent interview with him struck me as painfully true: "Once a pleasurable activity […]
Playing with pure pigment is, for me, the best part of pastel painting. It's me and a soft stick of vibrant color, no brush or turpentine to interfere. Pastel sticks allow me to work in broad strokes, avoiding too much realistic detail. Instead, I show how it felt to be there. I'm not a camera, I'm […]
