-
Recent Posts
- You Won’t Know Until You Try February 8, 2026
- When you Know Better, but don’t DO Better January 28, 2026
- The Gentleman Farmer from Newark: Part 2 December 8, 2025
- The Secret is to Make Practice Effortless November 8, 2025
- An Inch Made All the Difference October 31, 2025
- The Gentleman Farmer from Newark: Part 1 August 17, 2025
- Sumac, Horses, and Crickets July 13, 2025
- Storytelling for the Soul June 30, 2025
- Telling Tales in a New Way June 8, 2025
- A Good Book Is Like a Mirror June 1, 2025
Categories
-
Join 433 other subscribers
Tags
- aging
- architecture
- art
- artist
- artist's memoir
- art kit
- art supplies
- art tool kit
- Beginnings
- Being Present
- Book #2
- books
- brickwork
- color mixing
- Community
- Constant Learning
- Creative Habit
- Creativity
- Double Take
- drawing
- drawing habit
- Eyesight
- fountain pen
- Freedom
- habit
- Habits
- Innate Health
- Inside-Out Understanding
- Inspiration
- Integrity
- kieep it simple
- learning from masters
- life
- life-long learning
- lifelong learning
- Look at That!
- Looking
- mark-making
- meditation
- Memoir
- mental-health
- Mentors
- observation
- painting
- pen and ink
- pencil sketch
- Perseverance
- perseverence
- photography
- plein air
- plein air kit
- practice
- reflection
- rule of thirds
- seeing
- seeing meditation
- self-publishing
- simplicity
- Sketchbook
- sketching
- sketching with others
- storytelling
- Three Principles
- time management
- tint brush
- urban sketching
- Watercolor
- watercolor-painting
- Watercolor chemistry
- watercolor paint
- watercolors
- winter sketching
- wisdom
- Writing
- Writing Habit
Category Archives: Beauty
I never have to sit waiting for the pencil to start
I just spent a chunk of time trying to open a properly-saved file on my computer that, for some reason, now needs to be recovered. Couldn’t do it. That file was a blog post draft in MS Word, so instead … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Pencil sketching, sketching, Watercolor
Tagged Creative Habit, Inspiration, Perseverance, restlessness
8 Comments
“Look at That!” Second Edition will arrive Spring 2024
On August 27th, 2023, I wrote an enthusiastic post about the work I am doing on a revision of Look at That! So clear-headed. So excited. So methodical. Then Life happened. I can smile as I write that now. Long … Continue reading
What does global warming have to do with watercolor?
(Note: This isn’t a quick read, but it’s well worth your time.) Marc Taro Holmes gave me my first glimpse of this connection between art and climate change when he published his seminal work, “Apocalypse Variations” in 2019. The art in this … Continue reading
The Perfect Cure for Your Next Creative Stall-out
Do you ever feel like sketching, but you don’t feel like sketching? By that I mean, do you ever feel like playing with your pens and paper and watercolor toys, but you have no interest at all in finding a … Continue reading
My Ultimate Toolkit for Plein Air Watercolor Enjoyment
As promised last week, here is the story of the latest “Ultimate Plein Air Watercolor Set-up.” This time, yes, I think I’ve nailed it. Warning: If you are not a watercolor painter, or even if you are and you never … Continue reading
Say no… so you can say yes.
Your time is precious. Sometimes my time feels so precious, and I have so many creative ideas, that time flies between blog posts as it has done lately. (Your overflowing inbox appreciates that though, I’m sure!) This is why it’s … Continue reading
Posted in 3- Magic: Art Epiphanies, Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story, Writing
Tagged Creative Habit, Inspiration, Perseverance, time management
2 Comments
Perspective difficulties? Try planting fence posts!
If you’re struggling with getting the perspective right when you’re drawing buildings, take it from me, you’re not alone. I’ve been drawing buildings in urban scenes and country scenes for decades, and my success in achieving credible perspective has been … Continue reading
More from my hero, Danny Gregory
In my book, Look at That!, on pages 55 and 67, I gave kudos to Danny for being a wonderful creative mentor to hundreds of wannabe artists. Then in my second book, Double Take, I pretty much gave Danny credit … Continue reading
Posted in 3- Magic: Art Epiphanies, Beauty, Cartoons, Musings on Life
Tagged animation, Community, Creative Habit, Danny Gregory, Inspiration, Perseverance
7 Comments
Never cut the warp
(Note: this post is about twice as long as most. Good story though!) Many years ago, I owned a weaving studio that catered to helping people who lived on the riverbanks of mainstream culture. The people I worked with were … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story
Tagged accessibility, Community, Creativity, Inspiration, SAORI weaving, weaving
12 Comments
I’m moving! Not really…
Last week I was lucky to have a long visit with my niece who is in the midst of one of life’s top stressors: Moving Your Household. I’ve moved more times than I can count (okay, full disclosure, I’ve moved … Continue reading