The Creative Spirit

Creativity is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I suppose I’ve always been a creative individual, … More

The Birds!

This little fellow is late to the “Draw-a-Bird” party this month, so he’ll be flapping his wings like crazy to … More

A Pleasant Rut :)

Do you ever find yourself “stuck in a rut” when it comes to your artwork? Doing the same thing, the … More

A Little Rough

Those of you who have become Facebook friends already know my exciting news. I’m going to be joining an art … More

Re-do: Step 3

I hate it. That’s all I can say about how this painting turned out the second time around. Although I … More

Re-do: Step 2

I’m still not getting a good photo of this painting, but I’m making a little progress on it. I’ve completed … More

Re-do: Step 1

I’ve been working on my ruined canvas. I’m taking it very slowly, and thinking things through as I decide what … More

How to Ruin a Painting in One Easy Step

Getting back to painting has proved far more difficult than I’d expected. It’s nerve-wracking, although I can’t say exactly why. … More

When Colors Go Wrong

Although I made a lot of my usual mistakes in this painting, overall I think I’m fairly pleased with it — except for the color choices.

A Scene from Childhood

I’m finding that I have an “old-fashioned” spirit when it comes to painting, and that’s how this painting feels to me.

I Wish

It’s hard to go wrong with black and white.

What Does It Mean to be an Artist?

Anyone can learn the proper techniques to follow in art, but that alone does not make one an artist.

Will I Ever Learn?

Will I ever learn to create the landscapes I want? Will I ever be able to paint trees that make me smile? Or will it always be a struggle for me?

Seascape Fantasy

This particular canvas panel has been many things in its short life.

A Few Bits and Pieces

Although I don’t like the finished painting, I do see a lot about it that gives me hope for my future as an artist. As you know, I’m still trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be, and I think there’s a lot of me in this painting.

An Artist’s Dilemma

In many ways, the painting does reflect who I am as an artist, and I like that. At the same time, I want to explore so many other colors and ideas.

Next on the Agenda

Recently, I’ve started practicing trees, and while I can do them fairly well in practice, I don’t seem able to get them the way I want when I try to include them in a landscape.

Artistic Frustration

The new painting was turning out better than I’d hoped, and then, at the last minute, I made a disastrous mistake. I wanted to make the water in the lake appear to have a little movement in it, and it all went wrong. I was almost in tears to see what I had done. But I persisted. I could never completely fix the mistake and go back to the serene, placid lake I had before, but I did what I could to salvage the painting.

The Old Gray Mare – Underpainting Value Study

As you know, lately I’ve been studying oil painting techniques, and my assignment yesterday was to take a photo reference and use it to complete an underpainting to show the values.

Die, Mr. Partridge, Die!

I did my best to work around the still visible contours of the partridge body, and finally — after many hours of frustration — came away with a scene that accomplished my purposes.