If you've ever watched my videos you know that I move fast. I don't spend a lot of time thinking or planning, I just kind of do what feels good and make quick decisions. I favor techniques and mediums that are fast and esasy. I mean, my DVD is called "Collage Fast and Furious." Anyway, that love of speed is part of the reason I can get so much done. But every now and then I like to slow down. Several years ago I read an article (similar to this one, but I can't find the one I'm thinking of)... Read more →

I took my "bonus" day in Chicago and put it to good use by going to the Art Institute of Chicago. The very sweet Margie Higuchi... ...came and met me at the museum and we had a good time together! I feel like all of those afternoons at MoMA have really paid off. Even in this unfamiliar collection I was able to easily identify many of the artists. I took A LOT of photos. So many that my phone (i.e. my camera) died before I left. So I thought I'd share just a few with you. Matisse always reminds me... Read more →

Greetings from Chicago! To say that the last four days have been a whirlwind of activity and drama is an understatement. My CREATE Mixed Media Retreat adventures began on Thursday when I showed up for my 12:30pm flight and discovered that it had been delayed. And then it was delayed some more. And then still delayed. And then it was cancelled. But there was no room on any of the other flights that day, so after seven hours at the airport, I was rebooked on a flight for Friday morning. Small problem: I was going to miss the book making... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, all the posts can be found here. Please read this post first. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. Just play! You can join the linky list for August here. Fact: I'm not always in the mood to art journal. Just like I'm not always in the mood to be nice or wash the dishes. Or sometimes I'm tired after a long day. Or sometimes I just feel like... Read more →

I get a lot of questions about time management and living a creative life and making a living in art. And I've given out lots of advice in the past (like this post on priorities). However I decided that it might be fun to keep track of what I do in a typical day and maybe that would give you an idea of what my life is like right now. However I kept putting it off because there was never a day that felt "typical." And then I realized that that is typical of my life! No two days are... Read more →

My husband and my brother were born four years and 363 days apart. So I always end up making August birthday cards in pairs: I stamped the candles and the numbers (all handcarved stamps) and painted in the Happy Birthday. This one is super simple. Just me and my craft knife and a sheet of white cardstock. I have long said that I stink at making cards. But I really like both of these. I think one of the big secrets to making cards work is keeping them super duper simple. Clean always wins out over fussy. And clean is... Read more →

I am home from Maine, unpacking my suitcase (only to pack it again for this week's trip to Chicago and the CREATE retreat, but that's another story). And since I'm unpacking, I figured I'd share what I brought home from my week on the beach. It's not what you think, nary a seashell nor a rock. Nothing stolen from nature. I made four purchases while in Maine, and they happen to all be artist-made goods. We saw the signs for an art show as we drove along the ocean, and decided to stop. Two things happened at the 56th Annual... Read more →

Nat and I have posted the details of the final class for our Mixed Media Circus event! We've been so delighted by the wonderful response to the event. Thank you! Here's the final class: Entrance of the Gladiators – two two-hour classes using the same exact same supplies, but through the eyes of two different instructors! First to perform is Nat with "The Clown's Act": Let's have some fun. Create dimension and a tactile canvas piece with paint media, book paper, scrapbooking paper and grungeboard. Learn how to start out acting a little bit funny until totally punchy. Let's have... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, all the posts can be found here. Please read this post first. There is a flickr group for sharing right here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. Just play! You can join the linky list for August here. While here in Maine I've been keeping a sort of visual travel art journal. That's a rather complicated way of saying I've been mixing little sketches with some rambling commentary. Here's what I packed: Contents: Aqua Tote (which I'm... Read more →

Dina Wakely and Samantha Kira are two very accomplished art journalers living in Arizona. And they have hatched a wonderful challenge. You can read all about it here. Essentially, they are challenging you to get out of your art journal and start playing on canvas! The challenge is to complete two canvases (larger than 8x10) each week. Click here to see what I did for week one and here for week two. This week I'm in Maine. We're right on the water and I brought some canvases with me thinking that the ocean might provide some unique inspiration. Meh. I... Read more →