Change

So much has changed since my last blog post…. I vacationed in Israel this past July and now there is a war that has shattered some of the communities we visited. I traveled with my best friend who is now my husband (and an Israeli citizen) and we have been glued to the news. My…

Read More

Pastels at the Peninsula School of Art

“Cana Island”, a favorite painting completed on the last day of the pastel workshop. I finally made it to the Peninsula school in Door County, Wisconsin. I attended a pastel workshop with Colette Odya-Smith last week. It lasted four days and I am still absorbing so much of what I learned. I wrote an article…

Read More

New Mexico Landscape Inspiration

I was in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Cerrillos, Taos, and Placitas last week. I had only been to New Mexico once before but knew I was already in love with the landscape, the mountains, and the light. Watching the sunset each night was hypnotizing. Seeing the sky colors change from blue and white to warm shades…

Read More

Winter Sunrise

My favorite time of day during winter months… very early morning. Maybe because my dog wakes me up before the sun rises, although sometimes I am up before him! The quiet before most people are up and moving, the crisp winter air, combined with the warmth of the sky colors… this is the only time…

Read More

Revisiting Giverny and Claude Monet

I was in France this past September and one of the highlights of the trip for me was visiting Claude Monet’s home and gardens. Just incredible, to be where Claude Monet lived, where he worked, gardened, painted. I was in awe of the wide variety of flowers in the English Garden, every color imaginable, along…

Read More

Before and After

I’ve been spending time reviewing some of my older encaustic paintings and have reworked a few of them, this first example shown above has changed completely from the original. I had painted the Sugar Hill Lupines back in 2016 and at the time had done a series of lupine paintings. I used an electric tjanting…

Read More

Southern Cal Inspired

I am just back from a quick visit to see my two daughters in San Diego. What a nice change of scenery from the cold winter days here in Chicago. We made a point of doing vacation-type activities and a highlight for me was visiting the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I was surprised to…

Read More

Flowers in the Air…

… and Art Festival Season is only a few months away! The light at the end of the COVID tunnel, winter’s end and brighter days have inspired me to paint warmer landscapes. I have spent most of the year better learning soft pastels and it finally feels like my paintings are maturing. I continue to…

Read More

Sunrise & Sunset

I have always been drawn toward the colors in the sky, the glow just as the sun is rising or about to set. The yellow- orange- pink- purple- blue- combinations are breathtaking and limitless. I try to re-create a feeling in my paintings rather than what I actually see. There is room for individual interpretation…

Read More

Art Therapy

These are difficult times, and right now it can be a challenge to find understanding, peace, and a better way of life. Surrounding myself with the arts has always been the best way for me to live a full life. I continue to paint, be creative, learn from others, share knowledge, and hope by offering…

Read More