Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but I do believe that having a painting practice can bring a stronger sense of peace, purpose, and control in our lives. I don’t often talk about the political dramas that are occurring in our country here in the United States. But that coupled with the Covid pandemic is exhausting. With strife, rage, and fear abounding it’s enough to make anyone go crazy and derail into anxiety and despair. Even the most balanced among us I’m sure has lost their shit at one point or another.  So many of these things are out of our...Read More

Could we say this was the year of things not going according to plan? Definitely! Wow has it been crazy. This year has sure been difficult and has thrown all of us some major curve balls. We could all say this has been the hardest year we've lived through yet.  It's been full of so many failed plans and disappointments.  Oh those best laid plans!   I’m reminded of the quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings.”  Gosh that’s hard. Some of us have lost loved ones. Some have suffered great illnesses or...Read More

Why do I try so hard to sell my own work? Besides the obvious, I need money to pay my bills and not live on ramen noodles. I get this kind of question and criticism often. So today I want to strip it down for you with full transparency. It’s been a bit of a journey myself discovering these truths over the last ten years of my artistic career. Now I’m sharing the inside scoop with you here. I’ve never liked creating in a vacuum.  Recently my mom found an old audiotape of me when I was eleven years old....Read More

Plan for a positive future. Right now I can’t go to my beloved Paris or anywhere for that matter. You’d think thinking about Paris would be depressing. But for me, it’s the exact opposite. You see one day I actually want to live in Paris. At least for a year. So I’ve bumped that dream up to as soon as possible after Covid ends. I spend time looking at apartments for rent and saving them in my favorites tab. I even found one with a rooftop terrace with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Ooh, la la! I daydream about...Read More

Today I’m sharing with you my top three historical artists that both inform and inspire my own still life painting. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from each artist.  Here we go! Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin  Chardin was an 18th-century French artist known for his still-life paintings. He was very influential and successful during his time even though still life painting wasn’t highly regarded.  One of my very first copies was of a Chardin painting. I fell in love with one thick bravura brushstroke on the painting “Still Life with Fowl” and knew I had a lot to learn from...Read More