Art Blog - What Makes A Painting Work

Going through a person__™s things after a death can bring up powerful universal emotions: loss, love, nostalgia, remembered hurts and joys, guilt, and occasionally bewilderment. Why was this important to her? Why did he save this? Who were these people? There will be things to keep, things to send to other family members or friends of the deceased, things to toss out, things to donate, and in time you might find inspiration to the artist within you. For those things which bring out powerful emotions most often are those from which art emerges. The mixed media painting developed from my thoughts in looking through unidentified photos going back at least to the early 1920s which had been among my mother-in-laws possessions… Continue reading… 1 comment

Celebrating What You Value via Your Art Ideas are everywhere. You can't begin to paint all of the paintings that are lined up_no, they are pushing and shoving one another-- for your attention. Except, sometimes... Some days the inspiration center wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. You are caught in doom and gloom and a drab landscape of the mind, the creative side of your is just grousing around. In other aspects of life when caught in such a mood, it helps to act like a happy energetic person. Behavioral scientists tell us that when we act happy we are more likely to become happy. When we behave with energy we create energy. The brisk walk, the run, the dance session, energize instead of exhausting us. Uninspired? Act inspired… Continue reading… 2 comments

Ordinarily I paint or draw every day. Currently, as I adapt the shape of my life to include spending three days & nights a week in caring for a parent, the pace of creativity has slowed down. On the other hand I have found myself at my keyboard in the late evening on nights at my mom's house, returning to poetry more often than I have at any other time since I first developed a passion for creating visual art. So my creative efforts have been modified in that I paint, draw, or write almost every day (however brief the moments I steal). I've also been giving some thought to the composition of everyone's opus of sorts_how we design our own lives… Continue reading… 0 comments