News RSS

It is already in the South Georgia air… mild and pollen-filled, the azaleas are just beginning to bloom and I’m sure the dogwood blossoms are just around the corner. Not unlike any southerner in the middle of February, I find my eyes drifting to the window to catch a glimpse of Spring. Not unlike any artist, I’m dreaming of plein air afternoons. When the weather is just right and the breeze is soft enough to be pleasant but not too windy to blow over your easel full of paints or in my case, usually pastels. I’ve got the fever.Whether I...

Since I’ve encountered a recent artistic block, I’ve decided to visit some of my past art works.  Today I’m looking at my “Frustration” pastel I painted way back in 1998. I was working on a series of paintings on figures in various period costumes and was waiting on my model. She was twenty minutes late, but I had plenty to work on so I wasn’t too worried. When she arrived, she flew in and rushed to flop on the old couch in the studio.  Her appearance was uncharacteristically haggard, her hair falling out of a messy up-do and tears were...

She’s left me many times. But she always seems to find her way back. I’ve cursed her and praised her, begged her and paraded her—I hope she will never leave me completely. I am talking about my artistic muse of course. She usually wanders off when I am stressed and too absorbed in my own anxieties. And then when I realize she’s flown the coop again I may not paint for days, weeks. Once, when my older children were small, she abandoned me for years. I can’t force her to stay, then her affection is not genuine. My paintings are...

Many people have asked me why I choose pastels over many other media. Pastels are advantageous to me for a myriad of reasons and their appeal is so great that I have not enough time to list them all but here are some:• I love the feel of the pastels on my sanded paper. As it scumbles across the surface, it is a delight to my fingertips and really engages my moment of creating. • The colors have a spectacular luminescent quality, from the most subtle grays and browns to the most brilliant oranges, purples and greens. • The color...

 This January - the Challenge is on I am so excited to be working on a new theme in January for my Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge.This January Challenge theme is “Back to the Farm.” This theme encompasses the wonderful, romantic spirit of these beautiful, old barns and farms that grace our red dirt roads and highways. Already a favorite of mine, I plan to meet this challenge by painting in a variety of media and change up my style a bit. I might add some whimsy, some playfulness. This biannual challenge is really a time of self-reflection for...