The line of thought I followed in Trust the process, part II, also has led me to thinking about process, confidence and problem-solving as it relates to teaching. To be honest, as 2026 started, I was beginning to dread teaching. My fears were mimicking my painting blocks. Because I felt like I had forgotten how […]
Trust [and teach] the process, part III Read More »
I wrote about my occasional “painting blocks” in 2024, where described how I work through them when I’ve lost confidence. I was listening to a writing-related podcast recently, and one of the hosts asked the other: “Who is the author you read when you forget how to write?” And with that statement the pod immediately
Trust the process, part II Read More »
I sometimes feel that my work is easily overlooked because of my subject matter I’m a representational painter working mostly in landscapes. More specifically, I paint landscapes that are familiar to me. So, I paint a lot of rural scenes, small towns, and gardens in the Potomac Highlands and Shenandoah Valley. In the most negative
Local paintings, big ideas Read More »
Here are 31 “Watermarks” paintings that I created during January 2025 — one for each day. They are painted in a sketchbook filled with lightweight, multi-media paper, so the paper can’t take a lot of water before it starts to buckle. I chose this lightweight paper on purpose to keep me loose and gestural, with
Watermarks Project – January 2025 Read More »
This may sound silly to some who know me, but I regularly forget how to paint. Silly, right? But it’s true. And it has to do with confidence. My confidence gets tested more often than I’d like to admit, but it does happen, especially when I run into a painting project that does not go
In rural areas, opportunities to show work are few and far between. That’s why I am thankful for organizations like the West Virginia Watercolor Society and Hampshire County (W.Va.) Arts Council, and venues like the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Va., or the Clarke County Historical Association’s Burwell-Morgan Mill in Millwood, Va., where there
An ode to artistic opportunities … Read More »
I recently was chatting with a person who had taken one of my beginner watercolor classes, and she told me that she’s always looking for barns now. We laughed about it, but I was sincerely pleased to hear her say that. Some of the landscape projects we had worked on in her class included barns.
Learning to see and appreciate Read More »
I had a painting opportunity this fall that I’ll long remember. I was at an event over the summer and bumped into a couple whom I have known since I was a child. They had two children who were also in my 4-H club, both a few years younger than me. I also very literally
Laurel Mountain Reverie Read More »
In the few posts I’ve made on this blog, I’ve been an advocate for plein air painting — which is painting on location, rather than working from reference photos. I think plein air and “from life” work is important because of the advancements I saw in myself and in my work once I started painting
Trusting your senses Read More »
One of the critical elements of painting is, of course, the paint. But let me help novice painters and save them some money — you don’t need nearly as much paint as you might think. What I mean by that is you don’t need a rainbow of colors packaged in tubes or pans (dried cakes
Materials – choosing the right paint colors Read More »
