Three years ago I went to see Yayoi Kusama's "Love is Calling" installation at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) here in Boston. At the time, I was pregnant with my son. And this past weekend, we stopped by the ICA to say goodbye to the exhibit (its time in Boston is over). It was my son's first Yayoi Kusama experience (but hopefully not his last). I've been lucky enough to experience a few other Yayoi Kusama installations in the past. It's always fun to be surrounded by color and pattern! While we were at the ICA, we peeked at... Read more →

Mom and I sat down last week and recorded this podcast. It's a fun premise. We each got to ask the other three year-end questions. You can watch the video version on my YouTube channel, or you can listen below (or anywhere you get podcasts): And, I did find a discount code for the Bombas socks. New customers can use this link (it's an affiliate link) to get 25% off your purchase. Please let me know what topics you'd like us to discuss on the podcast in 2023. We'd love to know! And here is the podcast transcript. It's automatically... Read more →

Hey friends! Here's the round-up for December 2022: What's happening at home? After three months of being sick (flu, sinus infection, laryngitis, another sinus infection, strep throat), I finally was healthy for almost the entirety of December!! Hooray! Also, my little guy got a haircut and now he looks like a big kid to me! It really is true: The days are long, but the years are short! What's on your desk right now? Here's the quick breakdown: My color rolodex. I use it all the time. It's full of color swatches, color mixing formulas, and color schemes. Come to... Read more →

I can hardly believe that #CarveDecember is almost over. It has, once again, been an amazing display of creativity and artistry. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. DAY 23: calm DAY 24: hard DAY 25: jolly DAY 26: bold What a wonderful bounty of creative inspiration, don't you agree? If you're carving along this December, I'd love to know what you've enjoyed most about the experience. If you're not carving along at the moment, I'd love to know why you're not?... Read more →

I love all the creativity that #CarveDecember seems to bring out in people. I always like to share the different takes on the same prompt. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. (If you think you're not a prompt person, my Carve December Workbook class will change your mind forever.) DAY 19: grunge DAY 20: bubble DAY 21: texture DAY 22: big Remember: It's never too late to jump in and join the #CarveDecember fun. There's still more than a week to... 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 →

I love all the creativity that #CarveDecember seems to bring out in people. I always like to share the different takes on the same prompt. It's amazing how people's brains work! Here is a curated look at what I carved, along with a few personal favorites from other talented artists. (If you think you're not a prompt person, my Carve December Workbook class will change your mind forever.) DAY 13: thoughtful DAY 14: baroque DAY 15: soft DAY 16: plaid DAY 17: intricate DAY 18: clear Finally, I wanted to share these three off-prompt posts that contain really good ideas... 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 →

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 →