Sketching to Experience the World

Drawing is first about taking something with all the senses, letting what is simply be as it is, without judging it. – Jeanne Carbonetti, The Yoga of Drawing“ Call it what you will I love sketching. While it’s a good creative warm-up, it’s even better as an antidote to the distractions all around me. It […]

Muse Flash: Get out of the studio

When was the last time you spent a quiet moment just doing nothing – just sitting and looking at the sea, or watching the wind blowing the tree limbs, or waves rippling on a pond, a flickering candle or children playing in the park? — Ralph Marston The picnic tables in the park down the […]

Joy to you and me

Every time you express a complaint about how difficult and tiresome it is to be creative, inspiration takes another step away from you, offended. Elizabeth Gilbert In her book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Gilbert takes a practical common sense attitude towards living a joy-filled, creative life I can appreciate. It’s a breath of […]

Style and Fun: Keeping it real

A couple of months ago I had an interesting conversation with an artist friend who asked me about my style. I admitted to her I couldn’t define my style. Yet. Up to this point I’ve been learning the mechanics and mastering my craft. However, lately I’m feeling an inner push to go to the next […]

My Christmas Wish for You

The Road Not Travelled…Yet

Some days feel so far from where I meant to be at this time in my life. I dream of creative exploration but spend too much time navigating the ‘real world’. I took a wrong turn somewhere. A Personal GPS would be handy right now. “Recalculating.” As a child growing up in a home where […]

Fire the Committee

After the holidays I enter a special creative time of the year before I love. With no personal deadlines (only business ones), it’s wide open spaces and lots to choose from. Unfortunately, this is also when The Committee moves in and tries to stage a coup. I’ll bet you have your own Committee, too. The […]

One Stroke At A Time

To be honest, I dismissed those little pen drawings called Zentangles at first. After all, it’s just doodling, right? But every time I saw one of these things it fascinated me. I can’t really tell you why except that it looked like fun and the patterns intrigued my eye. And maybe, just maybe I shouldn’t […]