Recently, I was asked by Ampersand Art Supply to be featured in their upcoming blog. As part of this process, they asked me to answer...

Anyone who has had a class with me has experienced an honest self appraisal at the end of class. This is different from a group critique...

Most artists tend to think their latest painting is their best ever. I know I certainly do! This is where other artists can be crucial to...

This week I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Eric Rhoads for Plein Air Podcast about the power of art as a tool for social...

I teach classes in painting sunsets, both in the studio and en plein air. No surprise that I LOVE painting sunsets and the rich chroma...

Most people have no idea what color temperature is. Only geeky artists ever use that term, and maybe a wayward interior decorator. But we...

We humans love color, specifically complementary colors. Our eyes are naturally attracted to the contrast of the complements. Think about...

Every painting has an ugly stage. You know when you are about 30% into it and its not working out the way you want and your mind starts...

Every pastelist (and many others) face this dilemma on a regular basis. There are two trains of thought when it comes to blending in...

Each medium has it's strength, and weakness. Pastel is magic because you can layer color, and even light over dark and dark over light...

What's the first thing you think about when you realize that you have time to paint? Probably its the laundry, or all the other chores...

I cannot overstate the importance of play. As a professional art teacher, I see many novice artists that take themselves so seriously and...

When I was in my twenties. I had a loud voice. I was an angry young woman with a lot to say, and led demonstrations and marches using a...

We often don't think of art in terms of a discipline. Usually we think art is "outside the box" and creativity "happens," it isn't...

Recently, I attended a slide projection exhibit of Van Gogh's works at the Dali Museum in St. Pete, FL. The most interesting thing about...

Perfectionism makes me silent when I need to speak up. Because I stumble over words, I often choose to be quiet instead of speaking my true

If you ask 100 different artists how to approach a still life, you may get 100 different answers. In art, there are many paths to the...

Right after value, color temperature is a very important element of painting. Being able to discern color temperature in your subject...

When I'm plein air painting, I have a different process than when I'm painting in the studio. In plein air, you have a short period of...

If I were to describe my painting process here, it would be back-to front, and dark-to-light. That means I started with the big shapes of ..