There are times you really set yourself up for a creative workout. This WILD environment of paint and modernist collage shapes did not appear to be receptive to the addition of a figure. It was the scale of the collage pieces that encouraged me to place a large cropped pose on this sheet. I worked for… Read More
“If you always do what you always did, then you will always get what you always got.” Perhaps you have heard this statement before? It is so simple, even a bit silly – yet obviously true and and full of wisdom. Hearing the words might make you wonder why it is so difficult to incorporate change… Read More
In the university studio art classes I taught, it was my habit to ask each student to submit a ½ to 1 page statement of intent when they turned in their creative solutions to my assignments. On the day of our class critique, each student would stand at the front critique wall next to their project,… Read More
If you are faithful in your art practice, it is likely you will produce lots of drawings and/or paintings. When completed in a limited time frame, it is probable many will be sketches or first drafts of ideas you could develop more fully in the future. Sketches and rough drafts can be spontaneous, fresh, and uncensored…. Read More
I posted a new artwork on my Facebook today that could cause discomfort for some viewers. Recently a male dancer posed in a glorious backward swoop of a pose, legs splayed open, arm circling around for hand to clutch foot…it was pure poetry! When I saw the beauty of the pose he had constructed, my impulse… Read More
Chiaroscuro (light-dark)) is an oil painting technique, developed during the Renaissance, that uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, often to dramatic effect. As an artist I am drawn to contrast. To portray a full rendition of life, I must understand, visualize, and utilize the full complement – both light and dark,… Read More
There is something in each of us that wishes to be brave. We can observe the way someone walks or talks, and pretty quickly assess whether they live courageously or cautiously. Courage is a magnetic property and we are drawn to it when we see it evidenced in others. Are you aware that courage (or the… Read More
It is quite often the accidental mark, the thing you were not intending to do, that is far more wonderful than the thing you were trying to do. For this reason, I have built chance and serendipity into my creative process. What does this have to do with sticks? Years ago, I was exploring various tools… Read More
Structural lines need no apology. Show how you found your way, what you thought, and how you changed your mind as you shaped your artwork – allow your viewer in! Documentation of the creative process within your artwork provides an additional layer of understanding between you and the viewer. You gain nothing by keeping them in… Read More
Every summer for the last 45 years, our family has gone to spend time at a remote cabin in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. While my art practice has primarily focused on the human form as my subject, in the summer I turn my attention to what is available in this remote setting. On Grand Mesa,… Read More
