Yesterday, I had a donut-induced meltdown — from drawing them, not eating them. These were the directions for our in-class drawing exercises: Simplify the background, foreground, and subject to three values: dark, middle, and light. Use the white of the paper for the light value, a 2H pencil for the mid-tone, and a 6B pencil...Continue Reading
I’ve just received a swift introduction to the ups, downs, and vagueries of submitting art to be judged. In June, I sent work to open calls for the first time. Three pieces went to the 2023 Marin County Fair for possible selection in the juried fine art exhibit, and I submitted two works to an...Continue Reading
Some of the hardest but most magical moments in an art practice arise after you’ve done something you don’t like. I’ve learned that I might learn something if I refrain from immediately obliterating what I think is ugly or wrong. And the process might lead me somewhere much better than the place I imagined I...Continue Reading
When I stopped painting last night, something was bothering me, but I couldn’t say precisely what it was. I had been working on a mixed-media portrait of rescued pigeon Lucito in his wedding bow tie. The bow tie was a problem. It looked patchy and incomplete, and I felt frozen. A self-doubting voice was telling...Continue Reading
