The fraternal twins are finally ready to face the world! A few months back I began a series of two paintings (yes, with my boredom threshold, two constitutes a series) of sunsets, a favorite subject. A shoulder injury, a trip to Portugal and an art opening (you can see my travel paintings in the gallery […]
Since we pronounced ourselves semi-retired – the transition is taking a few years, LOL – we’ve had more time to cook. The pandemic amplified that, since we’re spending much more time at home and not going to restaurants. We’ve graduated from joking about recipes for our “snowflakes” – one of a kind experiments with whatever […]
And what, you might ask, is cue-based planning? And why should I care? Well, it’s apparently a better way to make your dreams come true. Based on the Wall Street Journal’s summary of research by Wharton professor Katy Milkman, cue-based planning simply boils down to “if x, then y.” As an example, don’t just say […]
A wise woman, pastel instructor and good friend insists, rather vehemently, “ignore the photo.” She doesn’t mean photographs aren’t good for reference material; I use them all the time, and that’s how my travel paintings happen. What she means is don’t let the photo dictate what’s in the painting. Many artists try to reproduce a […]
You’ve heard it said. You’ve read the t-shirt or bumper sticker. Yet you probably haven’t really given much thought to “less is more.” Besides the obvious warning against conspicuous consumption, what does this mean? Research reported in The Economist explains we have a tendency to add, rather than subtract, when we try to improve things. […]
The latest pandemic-related trend among professionals is to consider going YOLO (you only live once.) Apparently many folks are apparently neither depressed, nor really happy, but are merely “languishing” after months of relative solitude. I’m fascinated by the terminology, though not sure I belong in either camp, having lived much of my life YOLO. In […]
All of us have been caught up lately in the fog of politics, made worse by COVID. After the trauma of a contested election, then the threat of armed mobs disrupting democracy’s peaceful transition of power, it’s been wonderful to go back to quiet, competent government. It seems like there is finally light at the […]
The subjects I feel the urge to paint most often, besides cityscapes from my travels – sadly, not this year – are seascapes, particularly sunsets over the water. Not enjoying plein air (painting on-site) due to sunburn, bugs and intrusive passers-by, I often work from photos taken near my studio on the Connecticut shore. One […]
Staying safely at home has given me time for long-envisioned projects. One of those is going through old scrapbooks and photo albums, my pandemic archeology project. Clearing them out will leave more room in my closet for shoes and hats – a noble cause, I thought. LOL These materials date back to my school years, […]
Nope, not a flying lesson. Though I did try that years ago and loved it, my budget and worries about poor depth perception were impediments to getting a pilot’s license. This title refers to the creative process and a brainstorm I had while trying to fall asleep (which is not my strong suit, being a […]
