Sometimes I just need to do something different. I like to play around with wire wrapping jewelery. It gets my brain thinking differently – 3D instead of flat. Plus I don’t know any “rules” to follow when I do this kind of project so I can relax and just...
Dec32014
Refilling the Well, Replenishing Inspiration
Aug202014
Gen Con 2014 Art Show in Review
I only actually attend a few shows, the rest I just mail art in. For the past 2 years Gen Con has been one of those shows I do in person. What follows is my experience with it. Perhaps it will be helpful to some folks, Getting there: I...
Aug62014
Hands Study on Newsprint
We just finished up the portrait class I was teaching on Tuesday nights (thanks for posing Anna!). During the 10 weeks of the class I was able to do some head and hand studies. (Side note: If you’re wondering, part-time/evening classes start again the week of September 14th.) Anna’s...
Jul162014
Frustration and Learning
Sometimes I’ll finish a piece and feel like I added a new layer of skill and be excited about the results. Sometimes it’ll feel like I’m pushing a boulder up a hill. There’s a new concept or skill I’ll be trying to grasp and incorporate into the latest picture....
Jul92014
Learning as I Teach
Sure, I get paid to teach. That helps keep me in art supplies. But I also get something else out of it. I learn. When I prepare materials or talk with a student, I have to think about what I know. I need to break it down into steps...
May292014
Quieting the Inner Critic
April was International Fake Journal Month (brain child of Roz Stendahl, a Twin Cities based artist and graphic designer). As I understand it the idea is to do something different. If you draw dogs all the time, draw cats. The project could also be as elaborate as a visual...
May142014
Practice vs. Perfection
Flash back to art school. I had drawn before so why couldn’t I make “this” work? “This” was whatever skill or project I was working on at the time. All I had to do was draw what I saw. It was right there in front of me, right? Easy...
Apr162014
Making Art Soup
It’s bubbling away there on the back burner. My Art Soup. All the ingredients are blending their flavours together to make what is currently my personal way of picture making, or my style I suppose. Some ingredients I was given. Some I deliberately sought out. Some just kind of...