I’m old enough to remember “The Shadow” radio program. Although it began in 1937, a bit before my time, it … More
Category: Portraits
From Afar
From the time I first began oil painting, I’ve been aware of how very different art looks up close as … More
Art Quiz: The Answer is Charles Willson Peale
You knew this one, didn’t you! And if you’re an American, you’re probably quite familiar with this famous portrait of … More
So…This Happened Today
It will come as no surprise, I’m sure, that I didn’t exactly follow the directions for today’s drawing lesson. More … More
R.I.P. Diego
Our California Girl is no longer in California. She and her husband are now living in Arizona with a gorgeous view … More
Day 7 – I Can Do This!
“Yes, I can do this.” I wrote those words in my personal journal in regard to today’s “Day 7” assignment … More
Faces of Summer
World Watercolor Month has now come to an end. I did not complete a watercolor each day. I didn’t even … More
Liking What I See
For several weeks I’ve been devoting a lot of my studio time toward portraits — mostly in watercolor. I’ve had … More
Eyes That Have Seen Too Much
I don’t usually do political art, but this watercolor portrait showed up on my easel as I was working on … More
Expect Failure
Failure is not a pleasant topic to write about, nor is it a pleasant experience in our lives. Yet we … More
Making Faces
I’ve been spending a lot of time with watercolor lately. Each day I do a “watercolor warm-up”, which is mostly … More
I Painted This
I’m sitting here looking at a watercolor painting I completed a few minutes ago. It’s not even dry yet, but … More
Don’t Think — Just Draw
Every day when I check my email I have newsletters from artists and art businesses throughout the world. Most are … More
A Sorry Sight
Sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone. Unfortunately for me and my art, that often means leaving something half-finished, … More
A Study in Light and Shadow
I’m sitting here in my new little art studio — or actually, I’m sitting here at my computer desk, a short … More
It Really Is a Face
After finishing up my still life, I had a little time left for painting, so I turned again to Frans … More
With Apologies to Frans Hals
Among the many artists whose works I’ve studied recently as I’ve explored my Dutch heritage is Frans Hals, also known … More
Getting Adventurous
I’ve already declared that 2020 — the Chinese year of the Rat — will be a year of imagination for … More
A New Approach to Skin Tones
When I did a few watercolor portraits a couple of years ago, I learned a clever little rhyme: Red and … More
It Could Actually Be a Lot Worse
I’ve been playing with my left-over paints again, and I just had to see what I could do with that … More