Blog

Did you ever wonder how artists come up with their titles?  For me it varies. Sometimes it is something that I see in a nearly finished piece.  For example in the piece titled “The House on the Hill” I saw a form that was reminiscent of a house.  It is upside down in the finished piece, but since I am constantly flipping my work, to see it with fresh eyes, at one point when it was turned I saw the house and then I couldn’t unsee it, even when it was upside down.  Click on the title to see the painting...

Many people wonder how artists get their ideas. I start by thinking of a color or set of colors that I want to use, The other day for instance I saw a purple-blue on a hydrangea that I passed while walking my dog that I can't stop thinking about and will have to paint with very soon.  But, beyond that my starts are very intuitive.  I mix my color or colors and then try to fill my canvas up very quickly without too much thought. Then the work begins.  I look at my initial start with these kinds of questions going through my head,...

Did you ever wonder how artists create the different effects that you see when you look at their work?  They use a variety of different mediums mixed with their paint to create them.  My medium of choice is cold wax, which looks and feels remarkably like Crisco (see the photo - right next to my tools - it does right!?). When I mix my oil paints with cold wax, it allows me to create textures and transparencies. Unlike encaustic, which uses heat, cold wax is used cold and simply mixed with the oil paint. Rubber squeegees and spatulas are used to apply the paint...

Sometimes people ask where do you find your motivation or your ideas. The truth is I don’t. I just work and the paintings emerge. For me, having a dedicated studio space is HUGE. In the same way that being on a yoga mat allows me to “drop in” to meditation, being in my art studio allows me to “drop in” to my work. The place is a trigger for the action. And, the parallel doesn’t end there. Painting is a kind of meditation that quiets my busy mind. Sometimes I arrive and feel as though I won’t be able to...