The current Book Club selection at My Art Practice is Expressive Printmaking by Mary Dalton. It's a dense book full of really interesting fresh and modern ideas about printmaking. I made a few things from the book and I have plans to try many more -- like I said, it's dense. My favorite thing that I made was this block: It was carved using a variety of tools I don't normally use for stamp carving and I enjoyed that challenge. As Peter F. Drucker said: “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” Monthly members can... Read more →

During yesterday's Book Club, we tackled Beginner's Guide to Abstract Art by Laura Reiter. The short version of the video is: I share my impressions, highlighting the book's shallow but useful content, the absence of detailed instructions, and its value for adventurous beginners. You can watch the replay below: Here are some of the things I shared during Book Club: And here are some takeaways for you from the video: Keep a Notebook: Maintaining a notebook of some kind is crucial for artists to capture and process ideas, thoughts, and inspirations. Use your notebook to document what you see, think,... Read more →

This month we read A World of Artist Journal Pages, curated by Dawn DeVries Sokol, and I somehow didn't realize that the book was published in 2015! Ha ha. The clues were all there, but I somehow missed them. It wasn't until I started to put together the PowerPoint presentation for the livestream that I realized my mistake. Here is the key slide from my PowerPoint presentation in the video: Another title for this Book Club could be: A book doesn't have to have explicit step-by-step instructions to be useful to you. By making these four types of lists, you... Read more →

This month we read Expressive Sketchbooks by Helen Wells and I loved everything about this book! You can watch the video for more: In the video, we worked through Helen Wells' exercise, "Beauty in the Mundane." To participate, please have the following supplies ready: Sketchbook - I used one I made in a class I taught. Golden SoFlat Matte Acrylic Paint Paintbrush and Water Jar Writing/Drawing Tools - I used my favorite china markers Optional: Apron, Heat Gun, Rag, Baby Wipes, and I used Golden High Flow Acrylic Paint for the splatters Here's a peek at my completed sketchbook: It's... Read more →

Can you believe that it has been three months since we started The Artist's Way journey?! Speaking frankly, I'm delighted to be done with the book. If not for Book Club, I would have chucked the book ages ago. But, I'm glad I kept up. Here are the final three chapters of the book and a wrap-up: And after three months I can say...I don't feel like a better artist. I do feel a bit burned out by the book. Julia Cameron asks for a 1-2 hour commitment every day for twelve weeks. That's a lot. And I didn't fulfill... Read more →

We are about 2/3 of the way through The Artist's Way journey! Hooray! Julia Cameron's book provides a roadmap for unlocking and exploring creative potential. Through 12 weeks of practices, the book challenges writers, musicians, designers, and other creatives to quiet their inner critic, take risks, and ultimately practice living a more creative life. Week 8: Recovering a Sense of Strength In Week 8, we’re talking about recovering a sense of strength and building resilience in the face of failure and loss. We’ll talk about the importance of taking small, but consistent action towards our creative goals. Week 9: Recovering... Read more →

The Artist's Way journey continues! Here are the replays of weeks 6 and 7 for you to watch. Week 6: Recovering a Sense of Abundance and Week 7: Recovering a Sense of Connection: As you know, I wasn't a big fan of this book in the beginning. I'm mellowing a bit as I get further into the journey. I'm less hostile and more open. I feel less like I need to take every word in the book to heart and more like I can pick and choose what works for me. As a recovering "good girl perfectionist," it's always difficult... Read more →

The Artist's Way journey continues! The community that has gathered around this journey has been my favorite part. So many thoughtful people. I love it! Here are the replays of weeks 4 and 5 for you to watch. Week 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity and Week 5: Recovering a Sense of Possibility: Here are links to the little bit of stationery porn I shared in the video: Transparent Sticky Notes: https://amzn.to/43cR0wu Cornell Notebook: https://amzn.to/3KhmHMe Personally, I feel like I'm starting to find my way with this book. It's still not a great fit, but I do feel very hopeful... Read more →

I am continuing my 12-week journey through The Artist's Way. It's a bit of a bumpy ride, but I've developed a personal motto for the journey: take anything that will make me 1% better. There have been some outstandingly fabulous conversations along the way. Here are the replays of weeks 2&3 for you to watch: At the end of week three, I feel like I have a grasp on the big picture -- at least from an intellectual perspective. Here is my very type-A personality "what's the point" analysis of the book: Morning Pages are a path towards Meditation and... Read more →

I wasn't sure what to expect from Book Club yesterday. I went in feeling kind of blah about the book and the next twelve weeks, but I came away super energized by the wonderful group of artists who came to chat about the book. I appreciated each of us having a unique take on the book and our own ideas to share. Not one person shied away from speaking their mind, each one of us felt comfortable and confident enough to express our views. It was a real treat to listen to the perspectives of those around me and to... Read more →