Control is a Beautiful thing
In September I am teaching two weekly classes…
The Power of Pastel in Action
So last week was my first “Power of Pastel” Workshop at Sweetwater Center for the Arts…
Chocolate Snob
Chocolate is my friend. Well, maybe we are a bit too close when I see photos of myself.
Alexander Soukas. Visiting Master
Last week I had the honor of inviting and studying with Alexander Soukas from Denver, Colorado as part of the Master Series of Workshops I am setting up here in Sewickley at Sweetwater Center for the Arts.
Tips and Tricks
A quick tip for those working in pastels this week…
Be Not Afraid
“I don’t think that there is anything that is really magical unless it has a terrifying quality.”
-Andrew Wyeth
Brown is Not a Color Either…
So when is a color not a color???
Power of Pastel with Christine Swann
Christine is included in this Master Series learning event at Sweetwater Center for the Arts. Learn directly from local artists in these workshops …
Inertia
Some years ago I heard the amazing portrait painter, Howard Sanden, talk about his work. He said the most difficult thing for an artist to overcome is inertia…
Making Lemonade Part 2
I have to say the...
Another Old Lang Syne
I love music....
Ferrari Red
“You can only paint the smell of damp pine needles by being there: a photograph is a poor substitute for working from the real thing when painting a landscape.” -David Bellamy
A Swan is Born
Just like giving birth...
China
When I grew up my mom...
Diagonals Rock!
Just like using color...
The 5-Chord
I had a harder time...
Time for Color
Another way to...
Focus
Sometimes finding a...
Powwow
I love meeting unique...
“Friends of the Studio” Part 5 – A Box of Many Colors
I am a big believer in...
“Friends of the Studio” Part 2 – Putting My Best Foot Forward
Since I mostly paint at...
Cardboard Confidence
I was trying to put together a “cool” artsy blog for this week and I was having trouble. Too many things on my mind…
End Chapter. The Commission. First Impressions
Years ago I heard an...
Part 3. The Commission. Preventing the “Dinner Plate Portrait”
Kids are fun. Their...
Fingerprints
There is a gremlin in...
Aurora
"To everything (turn,...
A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time there...
Red Tape
Pastel can’t be mixed...
Gliders, Burners, Builders and Blenders. Part 3
Gliders are the...
The Other Side
When I was in 7th grade...
Making a Mark
In the past few weeks I...
Workshop Woes
This past weekend I...
An “Ode to Aluminum Foil”
I have a quiet friend....
Senneliers
So, Senneliers….. When...
Flashbacks
As of this morning I have two girls in college…
Brushes, Bugs and Bridges
Plein-air and me? Oh man… I thought I would share some pics and struggles from the last week.
ALL the Colors
Last week I was in Iowa City. I took my daughter to college orientation for the University of Iowa. My days with her home all the time are numbered, and soon it will just be my son and I. On the flight this is what he packed…
War
Sometimes a painting just keeps tapping me on the shoulder until I confront it, design it and then try to execute it. Sometimes this conversation with an image takes years.
The Rest Is Just Noise
Do you hate the painting you are working on? Frustrated with it and just wanna get it “over with?” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but anyone looking at the painting will know…
The Value of Design Part 2
“The way I feel about things is so much better than the way I’ve been able to paint them. The image I had in my head before I started is not quite – never quite – completely conveyed in paint.”
– Andrew Wyeth
Grey is Not a Color Part 2
Some artists are challenging me about the concept of grey not being a color.
Chiller Theater
Warning- if you have an aversion to horror films or are a very tidy artist, you may want to look away…
Artist Guild
Monday night was the second meeting of the new Artist Guild here in Pittsburgh. How do I know? I am running it.
Making Lemonade
So the painting I...
Traveling
Nope, I am not talking...
Three of a Kind
I have 2 daughters and...
Demons
It is Halloween...
Tangled
Since I consider this...
Dolphins
Commissions of animals...
Quad Chords
Going back to Sorolla...
Hat Trick
Just because an...
Mentorship
One of the best things...
The Workshop
Last weekend I was...
“Friends of the Studio” Part 4 – Gloves in a Bottle
Pastel has a way of...
“Friends of The Studio” Part 1 – Bridges
Over the years I have...
YO!
As long as I am talking...
Part 5. The Commission. Getting Dusty
It is time to get my...
Part 2. The Commission. Cookies and Contracts
There was a story going...
“He’s Dead, Jim”
Sometimes you just know...
Pancakes
I am not a weepy...
No Easy Button
Ok. Time for a vent...
Companions
My 16-year old daughter...
Gliders, Burners, Builders and Blenders. Part 2
Builders Builders are...
Fruit Snacks
I love little things....
Chalk vs Pastel
New visitors to my home...
2019
Two years ago I won the...
Do You Suffer From PPS?
This disease afflicts...
Loss and a Kitten
Sometimes losses come all at once. And when it rains it pours…
Walking in the Leaves
Recently someone asked me if I had a plan for my career now going forward. Goals for awards, shows etc… in other words, what does success look like to me now?
Joy
“Painting a landscape is illusionary… like trying to catch rainbows…”
– Phil Salvato
Tips and Tricks: Microfiber Friends
I am always impressed by those artists that try so hard to keep their pastels squeaky clean.
Flying Buttresses
“It’s all in how you arrange the thing… the careful balance of the design is the motion.”
– Andrew Wyeth
Yup… composition is king.
The Value of Design
One of the most prized possessions I have in my studio space is an old book I bought for $6.99 from a second-hand book store.
Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green
Yes, there is a...
Crazy Quilt
I found myself complaining recently that I was feeling quite scattered. Starting projects, stopping projects. Throwing myself into events and paintings only to table them soon after…
Making Lemonade Part 3
Oh the happiness of a...
Lemons
Welcome to the first blog of the New Year and to the first painting of my New Life…
Artist Guild
5 months ago I moved to...
The POWER of Pastel
This week I have a...
The 1700
Over the past...
Coat Hangers
Using diagonals or...
Snap To It
Now let's put color...
Harmony
So last week I touched...
Relationships
While on the topic of...
Birthday Girl
Well, I did it. I...
“Friends of the Studio Part” 6 – Dusty Children
My children get dirty....
“Friends of the Studio” Part 3 – Reflections
A good portrait has...
Links
I was digging through...
Color of the Year 2018
Hello and Happy New...
Part 4. The Commission. Poster Studies
So after the best...
Part 1. The Commission.
Most artists have a...
The Art Police
My daughter was home...
The Shape of Things
Composing simple shapes...
“Let it go…”
I have often heard over...
Gliders, Burners, Builders and Blenders. Part 4
Blenders Ah......
Gliders, Burners, Builders and Blenders. Part 1
So one of the best...
“Should” is a Four-Letter Word.
I have only one rule in my workshop.
Firewalking
A few years ago I had...
“Grey is not a color…”
I was on a date once...
“Powers”
So I discovered what I...