News
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Drawing From Life: A Focus on the Self
30 Aug 2019Blue Self-Portrait 12x9 inch charcoal and acrylic on bristol 2019 I’ve completed my yearlong research to make portraits from life. This project stemmed from my experience painting 25 family portraits from photos for the Exhibition and Collaborative Fellowship at Community Arts Center last Summer 2018. I saw the clear advantages…
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Collections Review 2018 Part 3: From Reference Photo
02 Jan 2019This is part 3 of 3 posts showcasing the 33 artworks that entered collections of friends, family and art-lovers this 2018. These twelve drawings and paintings included here were completed from reference photos, most of which were taken by me. Thanks and onto the Collection Review!SACRAMENTO VALLEY 8x10” ACRYLIC ON…
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Collections Review 2018 Part 2: From Life
02 Jan 2019This is part 2 of 3 posts showcasing the 33 artworks that entered collections of friends, family and art-lovers this 2018. These eleven drawings and paintings included here were completed in one or two sittings from life, not reference photos. Thanks and onto the Collection Review!FRANKLIN INSTITUTE STEPS PLEIN AIR…
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Collection Review 2018- Part 1: Portraits
31 Dec 2018This is part 1 of 3 posts showcasing the 33 artworks that entered collections of friends, family and art-lovers this 2018. The ten paintings included here are portraits painted of people or animals from reference photographs I took or provided by the client. Thanks and onto the Collection Review!
Shalom 10x8”…
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Community Arts Center Exhibition and Collaborative Fellowship 2018
01 Jul 2018Two years ago I set out to paint realistically. I knew I had to create many, many paintings to build my skill, so I decided to choose a subject that was meaningful to me. So I chose my family EXHIBIT Tree portrait is the third portrait I painted but it was the first… -
Painting Family With a Story
28 Feb 2018A new opportunity has sparked a change with how I think about and paint my family portraits. Let me give some context. This Summer 2018 I’ll be participating in the Collaboration and Exhibition Fellowship at the Community Art Center in Wallingford, PA alongside Philadelphia printmaker and teaching artist Martha Knox. … -
December Art Challenge
30 Dec 2017The last month of 2017 brought an impromptu art challenge that was so exciting to work through and that pushed me to produce work I’m proud of. The ten day challenge: one acrylic painting in one session without using any black paint. You know what? I painted elevenSometimes when I…
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Holiday Art Sale Success
29 Dec 2017December is holiday season and marks the end of a year and the longest of nights- but this December also ushered in my first Holiday Painting Sale! I’m so glad that each special painting is in a good home. I’ll say a few words farewell to each of them!OCNJ Dunes 2017 9”x12” The dune grasses in Ocean…
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RollerCoaster Politics + The Role of Art
15 Nov 2017A guest and Sonya Clark (right) during the performance of Unraveling, Saturday, 11.4.17. (c) Jenny Graham-Hougah Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts hosted a forum on Art and the Election 11.3.17. I was attracted to this artist talk because I, too, have been wondering “What is the role and responsibility…
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Outdoor Painting Is Easy and Cheap
27 Aug 2017The magazine Plein Air Painting boasts of being the most circulated artist magazine in the world. At first I was shocked that Artforum or Art News, which publish articles about museum and contemporary gallery shows, did not lead the art publishing market. But now I totally understand why Plein Air Magazine leads… -
An Extended Look
02 May 2017Practice makes better. That phrase gets me through the painting phase when each part of the painting doesn’t work and I’m totally frustrated. Each mark I make is a learning experience, and I know I can always paint over it. I figure by painting many portraits from photos I will improve my rendering… -
New Family Album
23 Nov 2016I’m creating a family album, but instead of photographs it’s of drawings. I’ve been scrolling through my pictures and am picking out a select few that make the cut. I just finished a portrait of my husband, and it’s a picture of him - he’s got his hand on his chin as he looks at me and smiles. I…
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Charcoal Portraits: Commission Now For the Holidays
16 Nov 2016If you’re anything like me, your phone is filled photos. I love capturing exciting events and intimate moments, and I smile when I look at these pictures. But I rarely print any of my photos. I’m changing all that by building a collection of portraits of the people I love, drawn from photos taken…
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Project Trip: Montauk NY Dusk/Dawn
10 Oct 2016I was fortunate to visit Montauk NY to research for the series I’m currently working on: Dusk/Dawn. Montauk is on the eastern tip of Long Island NY and is very pleasant in October. The temperature is mild, the beaches are empty, and the plant-life is still in bloomSketch from Shadmoor State Park on a beautiful October day. (c)…
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On Becoming a Painter pt 2
11 Sep 2016I’ve been developing plans for a painting career, and in the process, I realize my life has changed since I’ve become a painter. And I’m loving it. Here’s just a few ways Visibility. Sharing the artwork and the process via social media, struggles included. I’ve relished in the community that sprouts up around the creative arts.… -
Not the Usual Theme
07 Sep 2016I created a different type of portrait this timeMorning Wash, acrylic on canvas, 20x16” 2016
Photograph by Albert Arthur Allen This scene shares one moment in a secluded lake before dawn. I worked from a photograph because the relaxed pose of a live model would lack the inherent activity…
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Whitney Human Interest
04 Sep 2016This private museum’s portrait collection is something. In the Whitney Museum of American Art’s description: “Drawn entirely from the Museum’s holdings, the more than two hundred works in the exhibition show changing approaches to portraiture from the early 1900s until today.” Such a fun show. Funky, dynamic and a joy to… -
My First Three
01 Sep 2016My first three juried shows opened me up to a whole new world of engagement within the arts. In college, I was an art history major, not an artist. I loved history and sociology and literature, and also sewing quilts, creating collages, and painting. I never introduced myself as an artist. And aside from a few Women Caucus… -
Studio
28 Aug 2016It’s got a south facing window, a large closet, a sink in the next room- and it’s all mine.I love having a studio to call my own!
current fav position
From a few months ago when I painted with long hair and studio lighting. When I paint, all…
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5 Qualities to Great Portraits
24 Aug 2016Sometimes I post about work I’m creating or my art development. This bit of news shares some research from a gallery visit. The entire National Portrait Gallery shocked me. Before visiting the museum my idea of a portrait was a likeness of a person. No big deal. Just get the turn of the nose and… -
On Becoming a Full-Time Painter
21 Aug 2016It was a tough decision, but I decided to cut out teaching and administrative work to make room for painting. I’ll go back to teaching again soon. I can’t imagine not sharing project ideas with kids, or working with them as they develop their plans and then hearing their thoughts after it’s complete. Gosh…