What Happens When You Get "Unstuck"

I thought I’d follow up my last post by sharing some of the positive results of having spent some time in the desert. Recently I listened to the “Three Day Effect” on Audible. I highly recommend. It’s a 6-episode documentary that talks about the benefits of spending at least three full days immersed in nature. I have already known this about myself, that I need regular escapes to the outdoors. But what’s really cool is that there is now tangible evidence proving that extended time outside—that magical number of 3 days or more—can offer so much more than vitamin D! It can open new pathways for creativity. It can help you get “unstuck.” Case in point: I started this 36x24” oil painting of my son Everett, at the beginning of August… so, about six months ago. I really hoped to get it done in t… Read more »

What Happens When You Get "Unstuck"

Reckless Abandon

We've been in Colorado for over eight months now, and since we only live one mile from my twin sister, she and I trade babies off and on so that each of us can get some time to ourselves. It's a perfect system, really. BONUS: I now have another young model to paint. One day while I was watching Emily's daughter Ansley, I got out some finger paints. My own daughter was very apprehensive about them, and as soon as she got her hands dirty, she immediately held them out to me and whined for me to clean them off! Ansley, however, dove in with reckless abandon and loved every second of the beautiful mess! Thus, this painting was inspired. I just finished it a couple of days ago, and I'll share here a bit of the process that went into it. Since my time at the easel is usually bro… Read more »

Reckless Abandon

New Painting: A World of Possibilities

I never thought I would put a rainbow or a smiley face in a work of art. But that's just what I did this week. I had this crazy idea. It started when we had some guests over, and I had the front door open so that Cecelia and our dog Bella could watch them come in. Cece put her hands up on the door and stuck her nose to the glass. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen, and I knew I had to make a painting of it somehow. The view of our neighborhood outside, however, presented a problem. Our front yard consists of dead grass that we've tried and failed to maintain every year for the past six years. Beyond the road, there is just a mailbox, a tall fence, and the unattractive backside of a brick house. So I had to do something else with the scene before me. It occurred to … Read more »

New Painting: A World of Possibilities