Dirty Brushes & Dirty Diapers: Finding Balance in Painting & Parenting

As promised, I will continue answering some of the questions I received a few weeks ago when I posted about my upcoming demo at the Portrait Society of America. Since some of you will not be attending the conference, I thought I would address the questions here on my blog and social media.  Today’s question is from @suzizef. She asked, “How do you juggle painting and motherhood?”  I have written extensively about this, especially in  2014  and  2015  when I was a brand new mom. If you’d like you can search my blog archives for some of those posts. However, since my daughter is now almost four years old and we have another little one due in August, our family dynamic is changing and I can answer this question from a slightly different perspective than what I had four years ago.  "Motherhood&… Read more »

Dirty Brushes & Dirty Diapers: Finding Balance in Painting & Parenting

The Need for Art

Art is a calling. Some of us also choose to make it a career, but it’s not a career in the traditional sense of the word (i.e. work till you’re 65, retire with a good pension, take up golf…). I have no desire to retire at a set age and live out my days on a yacht or a golf course. My wish is to make money from my art so that I can keep creating art for the rest of my life. Sometimes I think it would be easier to have a 9-5 job working for someone else. If you run your own business like I do, you probably understand that the marketing and self promotion side of it can be tough, sometimes awkward. It’s hard to put yourself out there and actively promote yourself and your product. With artists, it can be even harder because our product is so utterly personal, an extension of ourselves. We ma… Read more »

The Need for Art

All About Models

On April 20, I will be painting a main stage portrait demo alongside Quang Ho at the Portrait Society of America's 20th annual "Art of the Portrait" conference in Reston, VA. I recently posted about this event on my Instagram account, asking my followers if they had any questions they would like me to answer during our demonstration. While the official theme for the demo will be, "Approaching the Blank Canvas with Confidence," there are infinite things we could talk about, and we only have two and a half hours! So, in an attempt to address some of the questions I've already gotten from Instagram, from people who may or may not be in attendance at the conference, I've decided to answer some of them here on my blog in a series of posts leading up to the event… Read more »

All About Models

Adventures and Accolades

2017 has been quite a year. As the new year approaches, I inevitably look back and reflect on all the changes that have taken place and what I've learned from this past year. I'm very thankful to have received several notable awards and accolades just this past month. For those of you who have been following my journey on social media and here on this blog, you know that this kind of recognition means a great deal to me. I've worked really hard to get here. While I do acknowledge the existence of "talent", I believe even more in the relentless pursuit of one's passion. To me the biggest compliment is not, "You're so talented," but rather, "Your hard work is paying off." So... maybe some of the hard work is paying off. And the affirmation d… Read more »

Adventures and Accolades

Rest from the Noise

Okay, it's been a while since I've posted and I'm going to be vulnerable with you. I've had a lot of noise in my life lately. There is, of course, literal noise, such as the little voice from the back seat that calls me out when my mind begins to wander and says, "Mommy, you need to talk to me!" and who requires 3-year-old conversations throughout the day about puzzles and rain boots and Dora the Explorer. I don't mind that noise - it is a sweet time right now and oh so fleeting. But I will admit that when I'm in the car by myself I shut off the radio and soak up the silence. No... the loudest noise in my life has been coming from within. It manifests itself in an insipid string of lies that speak to me in the first person, saying, "You're not d… Read more »

Rest from the Noise

A Healthy Summer: Painting and... Crossfit

August already... it has flown by, but this summer has been a good one. I kicked the season off with a trip to Dallas in June to teach a sold-out portrait painting workshop. I was in Texas for a full week and painted almost every day, either for private commission work or for teaching demos. It's amazing how daily practice creates momentum and catapults you forward in your skill set! I wish I could say I painted every day ALL summer, but unfortunately that was not the case. When life gets crazy, you just have to adapt and find ways to make it work, even when you lose your inspiration or feel tired and unmotivated. Demonstrating for students in Dallas, June 2017  "Hathor" - 16x12" - oil on panel - finished class demo Something that has helped me work through this regular c… Read more »

A Healthy Summer: Painting and... Crossfit

Epiphany: On Music and Breaking the "Rules"

This post was recently published on the OPA blog , but I thought I'd also share it here. :-) I am a professional artist, but what some people don’t know about me is that I've played piano since I was eight years old. I was classically trained all the way through college, with a major in art and a minor in music. I took all the music classes: ​ ​ theory, aural skills, counterpoint. I even took voice lessons and sang in ​the ​choir. I loved music with a passion that rivaled my love for art… it was that big a part of my life. But there came a point when I had to choose, because I couldn't devote 100% of my time to both. These art forms each demand much more of a person when it comes to choosing a career path. I chose painting, and the music gradually diminished from my life. Recen… Read more »

Epiphany: On Music and Breaking the "Rules"