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Recent Posts
- 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
- Give Yourself Permission to have Gentle Habits May 25, 2025
- “May I?” is a Great Question May 4, 2025
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Tag Archives: Watercolor
The Secret is to Make Practice Effortless
To increase your skill level with any job or hobby, you need two things: LOTS of book-learning hours LOTS of real-world practice Surgeon or master carpenter or architect or watercolorist. They all require lots of study and practice. The challenge … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Watercolor
Tagged Creative Habit, Inspiration, Mentors, Perseverance, Watercolor
1 Comment
Give Yourself Permission to have Gentle Habits
Here’s a mostly true story: Aaron (or “Double-A-Ron” as his friends called him) was a gentle soul lovingly referred to as the town drunk. His regular haunt was the Village Tap Tavern. Every day he would wander in about 4pm, … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Books I Love, Musings on Life, Trips to the UK, Watercolor
Tagged Creative Habit, Inspiration, Mentors, Perseverance, Watercolor
2 Comments
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
Posted in Beauty, Design Basics, Seeing and looking, Watercolor
Tagged art, Creative Habit, Creativity, Inspiration, Mentors, painting, Perseverance, Watercolor, watercolor-painting
1 Comment
What could you learn in just two hours a week?
Three questions for this next week of April 2025 Spring Fever: 1- Would you like to have room for even more learning? 2- If so, what subject would you explore? 3- Would two hours a week, for only a month, … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Watercolor
Tagged Inspiration, lifelong learning, Mentors, Perseverance, Watercolor
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Mentors are the Key to Momentum
“Next, how do you refill your energetic / creative fuel tank? How often are you doing it, and might more time be helpful?” -question from last week’s essay April’s theme is all about harnessing restlessness, claiming your focus, and developing … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Design Basics, Watercolor
Tagged Creative Habit, Creativity, Inspiration, Mentors, Perseverance, Watercolor
1 Comment
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
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Sketchbooks, Watercolor
Tagged art, Creative Habit, Creativity, Inspiration, Mentors, painting, Perseverance, Watercolor, watercolor-painting
1 Comment
The Power and Purpose of Silence
Silence can be the ultimate act of decluttering. Silence is scarce. We attain momentary darkness every time we blink our eyes or close them for several minutes / hours when we sleep each night. Our eyes let us rest. But … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, sketching, Watercolor, Writing
Tagged Creative Habit, Inspiration, Mentors, Perseverance, Watercolor
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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
Prepare to March On
Face it, we are all going through some interesting times right now. 2025 arrived with a crash of cymbals. Many of us have struggled through (and barely survived) wildfires, blizzards, floods, civil unrest and more – all during the past … Continue reading
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, My Story, Watercolor
Tagged Community, Creative Habit, Inspiration, Perseverance, Watercolor
4 Comments
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
Posted in Beauty, Musings on Life, Sketching tools, Watercolor
Tagged art, Creative Habit, Hake brush, Inspiration, painting, Perseverance, Ron Ranson, Watercolor, watercolor-painting, watercolors
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