Watercolor painting of a Labrador Retriever
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In My Studio This Week – Transitions

In my studio this week, I am in a state of transition. I am in the midst of packing up to head north for the summer. I’m bringing all of the paintings in my “Wine, Women, and Song” series for potential display at a winery in Walla Walla, Washington. I did work more on those…

In the Studio This Week – Christmas Gift-Giving and a Little Art
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In the Studio This Week – Christmas Gift-Giving and a Little Art

In the studio this week, I tried to squeeze a little art in but mainly focused on spending time with family. I spent nearly one whole day going full on “Suzy Homemaker” mode in the kitchen and baking up sweets for the weekend. I don’t bake much anymore, and I could tell I was out…

In the Studio This Week – Still Life Two Ways and an Owl, plus a Wreck!
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In the Studio This Week – Still Life Two Ways and an Owl, plus a Wreck!

In the studio this week, the Mailan Art Institute Mastery Program art school had a scheduled break. I was about a week behind and used this time to catch up. I also had signed up for the taster sessions for Lifebook 2024. This is another course offered by the amazing Tamara LaPorte of Willowing.org. I…

In the Studio – Wonky Portrait, UFOs, and a Duck
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In the Studio – Wonky Portrait, UFOs, and a Duck

This week I will share the results of my efforts in creating a wonky portrait, a UFO (unfinished object), and a duck! In addition to taking the Kaleidoscope 2023 course starting in August, I decided to sign up for Milan Art Institute’s Mastery Program. It claims to be able to turn someone (me) into a…

Using Triadic and Complimentary Colors in the Studio
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Using Triadic and Complimentary Colors in the Studio

Being an overachiever (hah!), I finished the August lessons from Kaleidoscope 2023 ahead of schedule. I did two mixed media paintings following the triadic color scheme. The triadic color scheme consists of three colors separated by three spaces on the color wheel. I then tried to do a 30-minute portrait using a complimentary color scheme…

Watercolor Week in the Studio
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Watercolor Week in the Studio

This week I dove into the Kaleidoscope 2023 lessons and actually created paintings! They were done primarily with watercolors. I have had a love/hate relationship with watercolors. I love the transparent effect they render. I love the fact that watercolors are easily transported and clean up with just soap and water. I also love that…

Happy Accidents in the Studio
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Happy Accidents in the Studio

Happy accidents happen! The sooner an artist can embrace their accidents, the sooner the artist will progress and find joy in whatever their art form. I share this to encourage anyone who has experienced making mistakes to work through them and sometimes the results were better than planned. As part of the Kaleidoscope 2023 curriculum,…

Mixed Media Portraits from Kaleidoscope Taster
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Mixed Media Portraits from Kaleidoscope Taster

I had shared earlier about the Kaleidoscope Taster sessions offered by Tamara LaPorte of Willowing Arts. I didn’t get through as many as I wanted before the initial session was closed. Then Tamara generously gave another 7 days of free taster sessions. Yay! I worked fast and furious over the weekend to get in as…