Tag Archives: painting

Planting future seeds of creative momentum

“Not every day is meant for painting.”What?? Blasphemy! The garden metaphor is helpful. If we were watering, fertilizing, weeding, and bothering our plants every day, they would ask us to leave. They might stop thriving, or wilt, or even die … Continue reading

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What if you could turn restlessness into productive joy?

The essay theme for April is Transforming Spring Fever into Joyful Focus. Week One, what habits might give you the most immediate and reliable satisfaction? Next, how do you refill your energetic/ creative fuel tank? How often are you doing … Continue reading

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Curiosity + Looking = Unexpected Aha Moments

Here’s your mid-week dessert, a bit of combined brain and eye candy. Watch and listen to my mentor Oliver Pyle (whom I mentioned in my previous post) as he guides you into a world you may have never seen, the … Continue reading

Posted in Beauty, Design Basics, Seeing and looking, sketching, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Power and Purpose of Beauty

As we continue to March On, rediscovering the power and purpose of who we really are, let’s begin by looking at this thing called Beauty. If you want to get into a deep debate (even with just yourself), try defining … Continue reading

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Emulating the Masters Again

As I mentioned last week, I am navigating a couple of medical challenges that leave me with very little energy to do extra things, even those things that normally rejuvenate me. Then I glimpse my sketchbook on the table…. next … Continue reading

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Watercolor is a gentle medium. No way around it.

Look at this Winslow Homer boat on a stormy sea. Observe closely, this is watercolor… … and then imagine it in oils. There’s no comparison.  If you want to calm yourself and create something of beauty or even release bittersweet … Continue reading

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The Invisible Second Edition

Oh my. All that work, and now it’s a secret. Almost. Amazon’s algorithm (which is perhaps a new swear word for me) says that as long as the FIRST Edition has sold more copies than the SECOND Edition, then only … Continue reading

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The bumpy journey from “yeah, but” to “yes, and”

It’s amazing how the mind works or doesn’t. I worked fast and furious the whole spring of 2024 to finish editing and publishing the 2nd Edition of Look at That!,** which is available now on Amazon as an eBook, a … Continue reading

Posted in Look at That- Second Edition, Musings on Life, My Story, Second Edition of Look at That!, Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“Look at That!  Second Edition” is almost ready!

What a roller-coaster ride it has been! This delightful book is the high point of my entire long life, and I am so proud of it. Here’s what you can expect: Stats: This Second Edition  is twice the length of … Continue reading

Posted in 1- Nuts: Graphic Styles, 2- Bolts: Sketching Tools, Beauty, Cartoons, Design Basics, Look at That- Second Edition, My Story, Nuts & Bolts & Magic, Pen & Ink, Pencil sketching, Second Edition of Look at That!, Seeing and looking, Sketchbooks, sketching, Sketching tools, Urban Sketching (On-Site Creativity), Watercolor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments