I stumbled upon this video from Monica Maldonado on YouTube. I kept saying, "Yes!" throughout the video because I agree so much with everything she talked about in her voiceover. In fact, most of the classes I teach are rooted in a similar philosophy of discovery. Watch the video for more: To summarize: Style is what an artist uses to make their work recognizable. It can be a brush stroke, a technique, a subject, etc. Voice is how someone expresses an idea or feeling with their work. It's more than just style. Style and voice are different for everyone. We... Read more →

I was reading one of my favorite fashion blogs yesterday and saw an Alexander McQueen collection in which the textiles are inspired by "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch. And here is one piece from the collection: You can see more photos HERE. Also yesterday, by coincidence, my Mother sent me a link to a New York Times article about Louis Vuitton using Joan Mitchell's artwork in their advertising campaign even after the Joan Mitchell foundation said, "No." They have a blanket policy that they don't license her artwork and it can only be used for educational purposes.... Read more →

Sending all of you a lot of love! Here is some heart art from over the years: Which one is your favorite? Hope you have a terrific day! Read more →

I wrote this post in May of 2007 -- more than FIFTEEN years ago. Wow! I have been blogging for a loooong time. I was a different person 15 years ago. Childless. Married to a different man. Living in NYC. Working in the theatre. Art as a hobby. And yet, I was the same person I am now -- inquisitive, thoughtful, approaching art through an intellectual lens, and always striving to improve. Despite the cringe-worthy reference to the New York Times article about a generation of sore losers, I feel like this blog post gets at so many things I... Read more →

In case you missed the Design Boot Camp Taster session and you're curious about what it's all about, here's the replay: In this "taster" video, I am sharing how an understanding of VALUE can help you bring your artwork together and understand HOW to make changes to your artwork that make an IMPACT. If you have trouble making decisions, you will be very interested in how VALUE can help you! Things to know about Design Boot Camp: Boot Camp runs February 7, 2023 - March 7, 2023. We will meet twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays 7pm-9pm EST) over Zoom.... Read more →

If you've got lots of last minute greeting cards to make, you might try batch painting! You can get a peek at the process in this video: Some notes about the video: Monthly members have access to the real time version of this video. I didn't use fancy paper, just nice quality blank cards I bought online. I find that washi tape rips the paper less than painter's tape, but use what you like. You can turn these into holiday cards by choosing a color palette that works for that holiday. Add sentiments or additional designs as you wish. Here... Read more →

Hello and happy Wednesday! Today I wanted to share the major classes I'll be offering in 2023. I hope to see you in one or many of them! --- Design Boot Camp: February 7 - March 7, 2023 Conducted over Zoom on Tuesdays and Fridays I am offering two sections of the class: an afternoon (12-2pm EST) and an evening version (7-9pm EST). With time differences, the afternoon version often works for those in Europe and the evening version for those in Australia. You can check the world clock to see what might work for you. Design Boot Camp is... Read more →

If you're hoping to gift yourself some art supplies this month (or leave a hint for someone else), here are a 15 of my most-used art supplies: Artist-Tac This is a dry adhesive that is ideal for anything with cut-outs or holes because the adhesive only sticks where there is paper, as you can see in this project: So you can easily take a die cut or stencil and quickly apply adhesive to just it. No mess and very little fuss. I use it all the time. Scor-Tape Sheets This is an adhesive sheet that is super strong. It's perfect... Read more →

To all who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it's a good one! To make it even a little bit sweeter, I'm offering a this-weekend-only discount code for my self-paced online classes: 20% off any self-paced class other than my two newest classes, The Artful Holiday and The Carve December Workbook. Use the code THANKFUL at checkout to get the discount. This code is good until Monday, November 28 at midnight EST. Happy Thanksgiving! 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 →