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 wanted to share a quick stop motion video I made this week.... Read more →

Hello, friends! Here's a little bit about life right now: What are you listening to? I've really been enjoying the NPR radio broadcast: Only a Game -- also available as a podcast. I'm a casual (rather than rabid) sports fan and I find the reporting and discussions on this show fascinating and informative. I believe in having a little bit of knowledge about a lot of things and Only a Game helps me stay up to date with sports. What are you wearing? Spanx. Lots of Spanx to smooth out the bumps! What have you bought? Flowers! I love having... Read more →

The good folks at Sakura of America were kind enough to send me their brand new Koi Creative Art Colors (CAC) watercolors to try out. They're super special because it's a box full of metallic, pearlescent, and neon watercolors!! Watch the video for more: Here are some of the experiments I made when playing with the CAC watercolors: And my assistant, Suzanne, had some play time with them as well. She did some lettering: Finally, here is a color chart for reference: This is on white paper. Obviously, as you saw in the video, the colors look different on dark... Read more →

Here is part two of my Picasso Museum visit. Not everything you will see is inspired by Guernica, some of it is the beautiful architecture of the building (and a few photos of Picasso's work that seem to have been carried over from yesterday's post by accident as well as some more Picasso originals). Enjoy! So, two things to point out: (1) I did buy an eye mirror and drag it back home from Paris (of course) and (2) that wooden bench comes completely apart into those few parts you see stuck to the wall. It's very cool design! I... Read more →

One of the museums that I was the most psyched to visit in Paris was the Picasso Museum! When we got there, they mentioned that two of the floors were closed at the moment, but I didn't care. I was giddy with happy excitement to be there at all! The exhibit I'm sharing with you today is work Picasso created in preparation for one of his masterworks: Guernica. In case you don't know anything about Guernica, this is from PabloPicasso.org: Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to... 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 think that the reason I've been so slow to share these pages... Read more →

Mom and I are discussing artistic fear on today's podcast. What is it? Why is it? And how can you overcome it? 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... Read more →

The famous Musee de L'Orangerie in Paris is known for its two oval rooms, each featuring four paintings by Monet. You can read all about the specificity of the installation here. It was quite wonderful to be surrounded by Monet's serene water lillies. Take a peek (you'll notice that there's a photo that doesn't belong to Monet's water lillies -- 5 photos down -- but more about that in a minute): I enjoyed the water lillies. But I loooooved the exhibit in the basement. Just eye candy everywhere. We begin with the straight-on view of that one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others photo of a... Read more →

They say the best way to explore a city is on foot. So, let's hoof it around Paris and see all the beautiful architecture and gardens and street life! (And admittedly, some of these photos were taken from the top of a tour bus or our hotel room balcony, but it's more romantic to pretend they're all from walking around the city!) Paris is a gorgeous city with a river -- the Seine -- running through it. One of the reasons that Boston -- the city where I live -- is called "a European-esque city" is because of the river... Read more →

The Rodin Museum in Paris is dedicated to the famed sculptor (and one of my personal faves): Auguste Rodin. In the museum (a "hotel" he shared with other artists as a home and workshop space) you can see his sculpture, practice bits and pieces, and his personal collection of art by other artists (including Monet, who stayed there for some time). The building is beautiful. The grounds are filled with his sculpture and the outdoor setting is magical. Rodin's most famous works are The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell -- all on view at The Rodin Museum.... Read more →