Muse Flash: Simplify
Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify. – Henry David Thoreau Simplify. Sounds so easy but here I am, once again, learning the lessons of simplicity. To ask myself if I really need to do ________(fill in the blank) or is it a distraction? Does this painting need this level of detail or […]
Continue readingCreative Courage
The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow. –Jim Hightower Reasons or excuses? Matisse’s famous quote “Creativity takes courage” is almost a cliché, we’ve heard it so often. It’s everywhere in memes and posters but maybe that’s because as artists, we know it’s true. […]
Continue readingFrom the Studio: My Comfort Zone Challenge
My comfort zone felt safe but it also kept me from growing. Recently I tried something that wasn’t really new. Just something I left behind years ago – painting with acrylics but it definitely moved me beyond my current comfort zone. Everything old is new again I used to teach decorative painting using acrylics. You’ve […]
Continue readingOrganizing the studio
Organizing anything can be a big job but I believe an artist organizing her studio faces a special kind of distraction. I realized this after I took on the job in my own studio and then read Marion Boddy’s Monday post on her studio blog. Seems she and I shared a similar journey. She mentioned […]
Continue readingWould you rather have perfection or progress?
True confession time. I’m a recovering perfectionist. It’s especially true when it comes to painting. In my mind’s eye, I see perfection but like most creative projects, what the mind sees and what we create can be two different things.
Continue reading