Have you ever been frustrated with photos of your artwork? Do the images not quite capture the color or richness of the original artwork? If you’ve been looking for an easy way to capture the colors of your artwork in photos accurately, meet your new friend — the Color Calibration Chart. There is a pretty…
Does this sound familiar? The entry deadline for an upcoming gallery exhibition is looming..it’s the eleventh hour…the painting is still wet…and there’s no time to get your painting professionally photographed before the submissions close. So what to do? Especially, if the painting is still WET?!? Snap a quick photo with our cellphone! At one point or…
“It must be so great to be able to paint all day!” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this when I say that I’m a full-time artist. I think that there is this romantic idea of what an artist’s life is like when in reality… Spoiler Alert! If you don’t want to…
I persevered and pushed through all the unease and doubt that occurs from not painting for a while to complete the Black-eyed Susans painting. And in the end — it doesn’t suck! That’s a win! You might think that I’m happy with the finished painting is the most significant achievement in this scenario, but you’d…
It’s been a long time since I’ve painted, too long actually. So getting back at it is about much more than just starting a new painting — it’s about restarting a studio practice and putting the feelings of guilt, fear, and not being enough behind me. Most of all, it’s a renewed commitment to what…
Do you sell your artwork? Have you given it away as a gift, or donated to a worthy cause? Think about it for a minute — photos or digital images of that creative work are all that you’ll have left. I mean, once it’s gone, it’s gone. You can’t go back and photograph it after…
Have you ever seen your artwork in an exhibition catalog, magazine, or other print forms and been really disappointed in the quality and wondered what happened? You made sure to send just what they asked for! Used the photo program on your computer, created an image file that met their specs — 300ppi (pixels per…
When painting a subject that flits around as much as birds, it’s almost impossible to get the right pose, in the good lighting, AND perched on a branch with interesting shapes. Not impossible, but darn close to it. Subsequently, many of my bird paintings are a compilation of several photographs and other reference sources, including…
Laying in bed last night, I found myself contemplating the question I’m most often asked, “What inspires you?” Some nights I wish I was like Paul – asleep within 10 minutes of his head hitting the pillow. I, however, tend to lay awake…pondering. The topics can vary from the day’s events to a book I’m…
Have you heard me mention volunteering at the banding station and wondered what the heck that is? Well, I’m putting on my bird nerd persona and happily sharing it with you. Picture a huge grin on my face as you read on cause I can’t stop smiling when I talk about my days spent with…
It goes without saying that achieving an accurate color representation of original artwork is the desire of most artists. Artists are inherently DIYers, and their efforts at color correction can lead to hours spent tweaking images, often resulting in frustration and disappointment in the printed results. If only it were as simple as selecting the…
When guests visit the studio, I often hear the phrase, “Why birds?” or “Wow, you must really like birds?” I usually get these comments because one look around the studio, and you’ll see lots of paintings with birds in them. Ok, I’ll admit it. I AM a bird nerd. In fact, my paintings have earned…