Musing
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You’re So Talented: words I don’t want to hear
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” — Stephen King But he’s so talented! What does he know? “You’re so talented!” It’s lovely when someone says that you, isn’t it? Makes you...
Under the Influence: My childhood idol, painter Tom Thomson
I’ve been thinking about influences lately. What are my artistic influences? Do you choose your influences, or do they choose you? Can influences run underground, or will they always show up in your work? How does influence work? Is anything original? My head was...
The Dark Art: how to find the perfect painting title
Have you ever wondered how artists titles their work? Or wondered why the heck they chose that title? It’s a bit of a dark art really. Should you dredge up words from the subsconscious, remember old song lyrics, consult a thesaurus, or what? I’ve been thinking about...
All I want for Christmas: books on art (and spy thrillers)
For me, Christmas has always been about books. I love finding the right book to give someone, and I love the surprise of books people find for me. (I usually end up buying a few things for me along the way!) Here are a few books I’m reading now, recently finished or...
Back to the beginning: starting a new series of paintings
Earlier this month I released a small collection of paintings. I went through the full process of finishing the work (varnishing, photographing, cataloguing, etc.) and presenting it to the public. It was a ton of work and a great learning experience. But now the...
Finishing paintings: it ain’t over til it’s over
I’m a new artist and there are lots of things I didn’t know (and many things I’ve yet to learn). Probably the biggest shocker was discovering how much is involved in getting work ready to present to the public. I had no idea. For my new series First Light, which I’m...
Defy the cult of busyness and do nothing!
How often do you do nothing? No agenda, no expectations, just nothing. I used to do nothing all the time when I was a kid—staring out the window, sitting on the front steps, whining to my mum, “I’m bored!” Once boredom got boring I was a kid full of ideas and a...
Make your own charcoal—it’s easy!
Making your own charcoal is incredibly easy. All you have to do is find some vines—grape is my vine of choice. Step out on an urban path, or hike through the woods, or maybe even rummage in your own backyard. Slim willow branches work well too. I use wild grape (see...
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