It’s been my dream to help other artists achieve their goals and improve their painting skills. I’ve been incredibly honored this last year to have a four-part series on Mastering Still Life Painting. The final installment of the four part series is finally here! This one is a step by step tutorial on painting a rose. I created this specifically to help you avoid the anxiety of painting roses. In it I break down the intimidating complexity of the rose. Painting roses can be a trauma-inducing experience when you’re first starting out. Students tell me all the time about how...Read More

Lately, there’s been talk of how goals don’t work. How you shouldn’t bother setting goals but instead you should focus on habit building. That without habits goals don’t matter. Ummm okay. I don’t agree with that at all. If you set a goal and you don’t work towards it you won’t achieve it. Duh. Yet, habits without a larger reason or a longer-term goal can become drudgery. Without a bigger vision and emotional drive of a goal habits alone depend on will power. The real power lies in the combination of both deep vision and habits to achieve them.  I’m...Read More

As the new year is approaching I find myself reflecting on this year and the ones before. I find myself preparing for a new year, another year of following my bliss.  There’s a quote by Epictetus that I’ve always loved. It says: “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” I’ve made foolish and stupid decisions (by the opinions of others) for 13 years to follow my bliss and do it my way as Sinatra sang. (One of my favorite songs by the way).  I’m not a rebel by any means. I was an A+...Read More

If ever we needed a creative Christmas it’s this year. As Christmas is ramping up so is the pandemic. Many people that I talk to say they’re having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit. Understandably so! This year is just so weird and freaking hard as hell to be honest. I’m sure the majority of us have a really bad case of Covid fatigue.  It's hard to project forward into the future and realize that these are hard times but this too shall pass. Covid is just temporary. We don’t know how temporary, but it is temporary.  Crimson...Read More

I’m writing this post today as I’m missing my grandma and family very much. Since I can’t be with them this Thanksgiving due to Covid this is my way of connecting with them again. Also to share with you about the role my grandma played in me becoming an artist and the role you can play.  Don’t underestimate a small choice like having a piece of art on your walls for future generations.  So when I was a little girl I started drawing a lot around age ten. I always loved being creative. Making things, coloring, and doing arts and...Read More