I always seem to be shopping for jeans. I can't seem to keep a pair for more than a year. I'm hard o... Read more →

I recently picked up a few bottles of the HandMade Modern acrylic paint from my local Target and took it for a test drive. Check out the video to see the paint in action and hear my opinion on it: Have you tried the HandMade Modern line of acrylic paints? What did you think? Thanks for stopping by! --- P.S. This is the stamp I used. This is the stencil. Read more →

During a recent visit to New York City I was struck by how artful so many of the retail displays were. I came away with tons of inspiration: inspiring color combinations -- and maybe some inspiration to use colors I stay away from, like brown. inspiring pattern ideas -- I love the patterns on the pillows towards the end of the post. inspiring display/photography ideas -- natural elements like plants, wood, and stone all really help to bring out the "pretty." inspiring shapes -- love that sort of wooden figure eight behind the overalls. inspiring icons -- eyes, feathers, elephants,... Read more →

As you know, I really enjoy figure drawing. Since I moved to the Boston area, I've been looking for an affordable figure drawing spot. I recently tried out the Boston Figurative Art Center in Somerville, MA. They have a wide variety of frequent sketching get togethers. Based on the kind of work I do, my preference is always shorter poses. So I chose an evening of dynamic drawing. Here's the description: Come draw some dynamic poses with us at Damon's studio- we do shorter poses here, 5 minutes to start, and ranging through 10, 20, and 30 minute poses. Informal... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. I've got a bunch of daily art journal pages for you today. This... Read more →

I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! If you do not see the podcast player above, please click on this link. You can listen to a podcast anywhere and at any time. It is a recording that is available to you whenever you'd like to listen. If you'd like to download it to your iTunes library, click here. You can also pause and rewind or fast forward as you desire. I like to listen to podcasts while I'm making art. It's a little like hanging out with friends while you art. Our guest today... Read more →

The apartment complex I live in hosted a "Paint & Sip" night. If you're not familiar with the "Paint & Sip" concept, it's pretty basic: an instructor helps everyone paint a standard image in about two-and-a-half hours and you drink alcohol along the way. To be perfectly frank, I was a little wary of going because I thought the painting was pretty darn ugly. But, I like people. And I adore people who paint. So, I figured I'd sign-up and get to meet some of the people who live in my apartment complex who like making art. The common room... Read more →

In my opinion, the best part of a handmade gift is being able to really personalize it to fit the recipient. With that in mind, I recently made two personalized gifts that I wanted to share with you. My assistant, Suzanne is a big fan of owls and goes by the handle, "concerned owl" online. For her birthday I made her a personalized apron! What crafty person can't use another apron?! I used the same owl from the apron to make the matching gift tag: I rolled the apron up and used the apron strings to secure it and attach... Read more →

Let's go to the museum, you guys! For this visit, my Dad and I spent a few hours at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. It's Isabella Stewart Gardner's grand home and all the art she collected during her lifetime is hanging or standing where she left it. The house is built around a wonderful sun-filled courtyard. The house is currently under repair, so only certain parts were open to us when we went. In the modern addition to the museum (which hosts a library, lecture hall, restaurant, and exhibit space), they are currently showing the artwork which normally... Read more →

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here. All of the previous posts can be found archived here. Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day! No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek. Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. It has been a while since I've shared my daily pages. Do you... Read more →