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 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 →

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 →

Here's an easy formula that you can use to make a variety of Valentine's Day cards. It may seem like a super loose formula, but that's because it really works every single time! Here are six cards I made using this formula: And here's one that doesn't work, in my opinion. I believe it's because I veered off of the formula and the percentage of embellishments is too great. If it didn't have the gold thread, it would probably fit right in! Here's the video version of this tutorial: Which card is your favorite? 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 →

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 →

I finished this painting a few weeks ago. But I started it in 2012 -- a decade ago!! In 2012, I took an online class all about intuitive painting and painted my very first set of larger paintings. Slapping paint on a 24x24 canvas felt crazy and intimidating and amazing. This is the piece I made (and you can read my original 2012 blog post about it): Three years later, in 2015, I hated the painting and went back to re-do it. Here is that re-do (and the 2015 blog post about the re-do): And now, in 2022, I made... Read more →

Yesterday's Book Club was fantastic! We discussed The Joy of Acrylic Painting by Annie O'Brien Gonzales. This book is **packed** with great content and thoughtful encouragement. You can watch the replay for all the details: Here is the color chart I shared during Book Club: If you're interested in learning more about color and color mixing, I hope you'll consider coming to Color Camp in March. And here are the five canvases I made based on exercises in the book: All five of these pieces are in my online shop. There will be no Book Club in January. In February,... Read more →