My New Favorite Color

As a landscape painter who loves painting skies, I’ve always been partial to blues — from the palest, most delicate … More

“That Poor Girl”

Time now for another of my “cringe-worthy failures”. When I began learning to draw, I looked forward to the day … More

From Five Feet Away…

It doesn’t look too bad. From five feet away, my winter scene painting actually looks like a river covered with … More

Be Quick About It!

I had a lot of fun in my studio this morning. I got out my oil paints again, grabbed a … More

Orange with Eucalyptus Leaves

I don’t know if this painting is an improvement over my first still life orange  or not, but it was … More

Learning to See

I am an advocate for learning art. For most of my life, I was quick to repeat those oft-heard words: … More

A Sorry Sight

Sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone. Unfortunately for me and my art, that often means leaving something half-finished, … More

A Study in Light and Shadow

I’m sitting here in my new little art studio — or actually, I’m sitting here at my computer desk, a short … More

Questions and Answers

I’ve previously written about Julia Cameron and her series of creativity-increasing books. I’ll admit I haven’t followed along faithfully week-by-week … More

In Search of Meaning

I’m sure you’re wondering what you’re looking at here. To be frank about it, so am I. For now, I’ve … More

Thank You, Mr. Fletcher

Arnold Fletcher and I “met” quite by accident. Now, of course, I never made his acquaintance in person. Our relationship has … More

When a Painting Speaks to Us

I’ve completed my “Skyglow” painting, and I’m very happy with it. This is an instance where, unfortunately, the camera doesn’t … More

Off to a Hanging

From my studies of American history, I know that hangings — the awful legal sort — were once considered a … More

One of Those Days

Recently I wrote about good days and not so good days.  We all have them, right? Well, for me, Tuesday … More

It Really Is a Face

After finishing up my still life, I had a little time left for painting, so I turned again to Frans … More

My First Still Life

In between my painterly practice pieces, where I’m boldly swiping globs of paint on my canvas with gleeful abandon, I’m … More

A Little “Painterly” Fun

Painterly.  When I first heard that term, I was confounded by it. What exactly did it mean? I didn’t have … More

Can You Guess?

I enjoy each new issue of Missouri Conservationist, a monthly magazine free to residents of our state. The magazine features articles on … More

The Backroad Barn Challenge

Yep, folks, that’s a barn you’re looking at. Yep, folks, I painted that barn. Yep, folks, I’m rather proud of … More

Getting Adventurous

I’ve already declared that 2020 — the Chinese year of the Rat — will be a year of imagination for … More