What Is Art For?

What is art for? We all know that art can certainly be a bit of a mystery.

Fire in the Forest

For me, impressionist painting means following what I feel, going wherever the painting takes me.

Not Fine Art…But Fun Art

Not all art has to be “fine art”. We can create “fun art”, too.

Bits and Pieces

Why not appreciate the good things in our art? Why not see the potential…and not make such a fuss about the awful parts?

‘Tis the Season

…it’s no work of art, but for me, this holiday card was a little victory.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick little post to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. It is, of course, an American holiday that isn’t … More

In Love with Doodling

Doodling. Isn’t that a wonderful word? It just sounds fun and playful, don’t you think? And, it is fun and playful. We … More

Emotions in Art

I’ve written a lot about emotions in art. For me, emotion is what draws me to a particular painting when I’m … More

Yes, No, Maybe, and… What?

Lately I’ve been on a cleaning crusade.  Time to clip pictures from old magazines — recipes, too — and toss … More

Art, Animals, and Activism

Art is so much more than pretty pictures or even interesting compositions. Art can also be inspiring — in more than the … More

Keeping an Art Clipbook

Writers often keep clipbooks or files where they can tuck away ideas for future stories — little scraps of dialogue they’ve … More

Little Things

Art is a process of discovery, I’ve learned. A lot of it involves finding out what we most enjoy doing, … More

A Little Bit Creepy

The challenge of depicting trees in my landscape art has become even more interesting now as I move away from realism toward a more impressionistic style of art.

Checkers, Anyone?

For the record, I don’t play checkers. I know the fundamentals, but my brain has never fully grasped the strategies … More

The Direction of My Dreams

As I write this, I am listening to a selection of beautiful classical music shared by Anne from the Denney … More

If You Want to Be an Artist…

Following the student art show this weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about art education and how we learn this marvelous … More

Art Matters

I spent time on Friday and Saturday setting up and attending a student art show sponsored by one of the … More

Frustration, Failures, and Unfinished Paintings

Being a creative individual is a beautiful experience, except when it’s not, and when it’s not, it’s no fun at … More

Point and Counterpoint

Last August I explored abstract art a bit, creating different paintings from ideas and suggestions I found in Artist magazine. I’d … More

A Funny Old Bird is the Pelican

I remember laughing at this little poem as a child: A funny old bird is the pelican. His beak can … More