Understanding composition fundamentals is so very important, but how many of us really do understand it and/or how to use it effectively? We all know when something doesn't look 'right', but how do we figure out why and how do we fix it? The following is an excerpt from a talk on composition that I give to all of my workshops. It's a bit technical, a bit boring maybe, but knowing these simple rules may be helpful to you when something not 'right' befalls you in the studio. Read on...this is going to be fun!

As humans and artists, we are prone to periodically self-focusing, often under the assumption that whatever is going on in our lives has never happened to anyone, ever. We are certainly all unique and yes, it is true, that the same moment you experience has never been experienced the same way by anyone ever before. However, overall, there have always been, more or less, vile and horrific times throughout history. Even under the best of times, one could still find someone on earth who was suffering. On the other hand, one can also find stories of beauty, strength, love and hope to brighten times of interminable tribulation. As artists, we have been put here for a purpose, to be the the light, for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

Winston Churchill once asked a most important question, “What is society worth without poets and artists?” Over the last few years, I have had many conversations with artist friends, students and mentees who have the concern that it feels ‘selfish’ or ‘self-serving’ to make art in a world with so many horrible things going on in it. I’m sorry to say that according to history, the world always has and always will have horrible things going on in it…but it has always had art as well.

As a gift to my Newsletter subscribers, I’ve been creating collage cut-out pages with an inspiration challenge to get the ball rolling. Read on to see the most recent collage cut-out page and challenge, then view the work of the brave artists who submitted their work to be published for this challenge.

when the calendar page turns at the end of the year, something in my mind shifts. Suddenly, I’m full of new thoughts and hopes for making strides toward bigger and better things. I must confess that in the past I was never a New Year’s Resolution maker, I always thought it was kind of a silly thing to do. I tried many times and usually by March, my resolution to keep a diary, stop eating chocolate and lose 10 pounds was long forgotten. My resolution cynicism was put to rest, however, when I needed to either get back in the studio or give up being an artist for good. I guarantee if you commit to these basic tenets, your studio practice will improve, your work will expand conceptually and your production will grow exponentially.

When you practice moving those parts of your body and brain required to make a drawing, everything else in your art making process flows much more smoothly. The more marks you make and the more frequently you make them, they become indelibly written on your brain, your movements in the studio become more practiced and you will approach the work with confidence and knowing.

I’ve been obsessed with marks for over 20 years and I’ve given many variations of this talk many times for various venues. Each time I do new research I’m pleasantly struck that I haven’t seen it all, artists are always continuously and consistently inventing new and amazing ways to make marks. With this talk, I focused on the marks made in process driven work. 

As a gift to my Newsletter subscribers, I’ve been creating collage cut-out pages with an inspiration challenge to get the ball rolling. Read on to see the September collage cut-out page and challenge, then view the work of the brave artists who submitted their work to be published for this challenge.

I’m so excited to be offering 6 LIVE Virtual Workshops for 2025, including 2 FREE learning opportunities! Scroll down to see what’s happening and mark your calendars for the the Early Bird Registration dates.

Discover the art of encaustic painting in our immersive workshops designed for all skill levels. Participants will learn the ancient technique of using heated beeswax combined with colored pigments, allowing for unique textures and vibrant colors. Our experienced instructors provide personalized guidance to help you unleash your creativity while exploring various applications, from traditional painting to mixed media. Join us to enhance your artistic skills and connect with fellow art enthusiasts in a supportive environment. Sign up today to start your encaustic journey!

As a gift to my Newsletter subscribers, I’ve been creating collage cut-out pages with an inspiration challenge to get the ball rolling. Read on to see the July collage cut-out page and challenge, then view the work of the brave artists who submitted their work to be published for this challenge.

I created a class that included feeding all the parts of me that were needed in order to build a meaningful body of work. I settled on the idea that good art is made with 3 important features all working independently, yet in balanced conjunction with one another so that they come together in the end to make that amazing piece of art.

What’s your art about? Are you stumped by this question? Learn how to organize your thoughts and ideas by following this simple step by step outline to create a Mind-Map of your thoughts.

As a gift to my Newsletter subscribers, I’ve been creating cut-out pages with an inspiration challenge to get the ball rolling. Read on to see the May cut-out page and challenge, then view the work of the brave artists who submitted their work to be published for this very first challenge.

The first outdoor art show I participated in was the 2016 Chester County Studio Tour. I had no idea what I was doing and used a borrowed tent with borrowed walls and participated as a guest artist at a borrowed studio. It rained the entire weekend, and it was so cold and damp I wore 3 jackets- by the end of the weekend I was shaking inside and out! Despite the weather, there was a great turn-out and I almost sold out my booth. Beginners luck, maybe, but I was interminably hooked on the show scene from that weekend on. However, after visiting a few shows and talking with other artists who have participated in outdoor fine art shows, I quickly discovered that there must be a time, money and experience investment to get really good at this outdoor show thing.

The article below is excerpted from a recent email conversation I had on the subject with an artist friend who asked me that burning question “Should I go to graduate school?” I discuss the whys and why nots, but my answers are mostly just my story and ultimately my story ends with pointed questions to ask yourself as this decision is so very individualized.

You’ve all heard that there is nothing new in art, I don’t believe this is true to begin with and especially as it pertains to these Materials. There is so much still to explore for artists who choose to take the leap and dive into something new. Artists are innovators and pioneers, there is still so much to discover.

I was mesmerized by the intricacies of the surface of our amazing earth. I desperately wanted to replicate these marks, but when I tried, the results looked forced, hesitant and just wrong….when I literally discovered fire, I was in love.

For a long 5 years I had been searching the world for the perfect drawn line in encaustic; something thin, clean, that would flow from my hand like a pencil line. I had always been a doodler, I love to draw and was always frustrated by the line drawing techniques I found with encaustic. I tried it all-wire, thread, transfer papers, tracing paper transfers, oil pencils, incising and filling the wax-all were good, but I found something unsatisfactory about each.

As artists, Whatever we do in the course of making work begins as a mark on a surface that is made by one human to be interpreted by another in an effort to communicate.