There’s a lot of talk these days about comfort zones. Depending on the source or the situation, the advice will encourage you either to search for a your comfort zone by getting rid of uncomfortable things in your life, or stretch and explore out of your comfort zone by doing things that are uncomfortable in…
The greatest skill that has grown in my own art practice is the skill of observing, of learning to see. I didn’t realize how much it had grown until my father and I were driving along the road one gorgeous day in the late afternoon. The shadows were strikingly contrasted against the warm light in…
Every artist has one: a cabinet, a box, a file, and/or a garbage bin where all the “turkeys” go. In my studio, it’s a box, and the reason these pieces are even kept is because eventually I will wash them off and paint something else on them. There is a misconception that when an artist…
The core question for Teaching for Artistic Behavior is “What do artists do?” Artists are learners, and they are always developing craft. These blog posts are meant to help break down the creative process into mindsets and skills that can be acquired by anyone. I employ them in my own artistic process, and in teaching…
What comes to mind when you think of skills artists need? How to draw? How to hold and use a paint brush? Rules of color mixing and line use? Ok, fine. I agree. But you can have all those skills and not be an artist. What is the deeper need? You might answer “creativity”. You…
I have a goal to do a lot more plein air work, so I’ve been making the effort to do so. It helps a lot that where I live is just crammed with great scenes to paint. My walking partner lives in a subdivision that is sparsely populated and further out of town. This makes…
At the beginning of June I spent several days with the Grandchildren. Their parents were off on a ministry trip. We had so much fun! I try to make some kind of art with them every time we are together. They are getting old enough now that they can participate without concern of major messy…
ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipədē/Learn to pronouncenoun the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Tomatoes used to be my favorite food, and they haven’t dropped down the list all that far in the passing years. So when I saw these at the farmer’s market, I knew I wanted to paint them. I…
Certain pieces are starting to exhibit the characteristics that I’ve always hoped for in my paintings. The quality of light that I delight in, especially glowing or dappled light, is becoming slowly possible and even evident. A Light Shines Through It is one of those pieces that comes close to touching my heart with that…
Hi everyone! It’s great to be back. As you may have heard, I have been in the process of downsizing, selling my house, and moving in with my parents. The reasons are many, not the least of which is that they are very elderly and have multiple health issues. Some of the process was heart-wrenching,…
