Another season of Design Boot Camp has come and gone. It was intense, powerful, exciting, exhausting, frustrating, exciting, emotional, and went by in a flash. I had a wonderful group of artists to share the journey with and I look forward to seeing what they do with everything we learned. Each year I tinker with the class a bit -- adding things I now know, cutting things that no longer excite me, moving things in the schedule around, adjusting assignments and instructions.....I'm always trying to make it the best experience possible for each and every student. One of the many... Read more →

This year, for my 100 Day Project, I have chosen to work on my stash of Art Parts. (If you're not familiar with the 100 Day Project, it's a simple challenge: commit to creating something for 100 days, and see where it takes you.) I chose Art Parts and stated my case as to why in this short video: And now, here's days 1-11: The biggest takeaway I have from the first eleven days is: I have already embraced the Art Parts methodology and doing this 100 Day Project pretty much just involves photographing or videotaping myself doing it. It's... Read more →

I've been redoing paintings again! Back in 2021, I re-did an old painting from 2012. I was surprised by how many people preferred the 2012 version. I, personally, did not. The 2012 painting is not a bad painting, but it's also not a great painting. The 2021 painting is more sophisticated in many ways, but it also feels a little overworked to me. And so, for what I believe is the last time, I have redone this painting. I am very satisfied with this version of the painting. It's hanging on my wall at the moment. If you want it... Read more →

For the last month, I've been working on a new series of mixed media collage monotypes. (That's a mouthful.) You can see all twelve on my painting wall: Each artwork is approximately 12" x 14". So...what is a mixed media collage monotype? Let me break it down for you (these are my own definitions): Mixed Media Collage: Artwork comprised of multiple glued layers, in which a wide variety of mediums are used. Collage papers are sometimes, but not always, decorated by the artist before being incorporated into the artwork. Common media choices include paint and a variety of drawing utensils.... Read more →

I am currently working on some new paintings! Yay! They're all botanical/vessel themed pieces and I'm excited to share the first one with you today. Today's piece is a lovely mixed media collage featuring a bowl of flowers. In this close-up photo you can really see the bits of collage: I think my favorite part of this piece is the leaves. I had lots of fun piecing together the leaves. Kind of like quilting with paper. If you love this piece and want to hang it in your house, it's a 16x20 stretched canvas and it's up for sale in... Read more →

I looooove making books of all kinds. Today I thought I'd share a short tutorial for a no-sew book you can make with just paper and a pair of scissors. I'm planning to use mine as small art journals/sketchbooks. These also make great gifts! Watch the video for the how-to: My class, "A Year of Gelatin Printing" shares 14 different bookbinding tutorials -- some simple and some complex. If you love bookbinding, I hope you'll check it out! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Yesterday was Book Club! We discussed Lynn Whipple's book, Expressive Flower Painting. You can watch the replay below: For the paint along portion of the video I used Golden Fluid Acrylics. And here are some of the pieces I made inspired by the techniques and ideas in the book: The next Book Club is on October 13 at 12:15pm EST. We will be discussing Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques by Sherrill Kahn. Click this link to set a reminder for yourself. Book Club is free and open to all whether or not you've read the book. Visit the Book... Read more →

In the video below, I'm working on two ideas at the same time in my studio notebook, aka my sketchbook. My studio notebook is a place for me to visually think aloud. For this particular exercise, I decided to create the same image using two different methods. On the left side I painted and on the right side, I used painted paper collage. My whole goal for this experiment/exploration was to figure out which methodology I preferred -- both in terms of enjoying the process and appreciating the result. There are a lot of things that I might go back... Read more →

I'm currently working on a new series about motherhood. I'm in the preparatory stages of the series. I've been drawing, thinking, planning, and experimenting. Most of what I've made are little scribbles and copious notes. But I have worked on a few more composed pieces and I thought I'd share those with you today. These are acrylic paintings. Most also include collage. As you know, I generally make all of my own collage papers. And some of the pieces also include some pencil/crayon additions. Take a peek: You can watch this short process video to see the last two pieces... Read more →

The Artful Holiday class is going strong with lots of fabulous projects, techniques, and ideas for you! On Monday, I shared how to print and construct this paper vase: Kim said, "Such an adorable project, at first I didn’t think I’d love it….BUT I DO!!!! The cork one was quite stunning!" On Tuesday, Sarah Matthews shared how to make your own stamp, print your custom patterned paper, and then turn it into this fabulous ornament: Vicki said, "I loved this class and made one with 3/4 in squares! Addicted ❤️" On Wednesday, I shared TWO mash-up projects. Every Wednesday, I... Read more →