small gifts, great love

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measureContinue reading “small gifts, great love”

from the heart

“When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.”  (Matthew 6:6) Ash Wednesday allows us to practice what Jesus taught as we observe this first day of Lent. We fast and receive God’s blessing with ashes on our foreheads to express our sorrow for offending Him. JesusContinue reading “from the heart”

goldmine of possibilities

I recently read a New York Times article about a hidden stash of valuable drawings found in the walls of Idahoan artist James Castle’s home. (James Charles Castle, 1899-1977).  The sketches were difficult to date because Castle would often hold onto his works for long periods of time, but they think they were created between 1930 andContinue reading “goldmine of possibilities”

oh, gouache!

Deep in the lonely bottom shelves of our cherished arts and crafts stores exists what I believe is a supply often forgotten by the mixed media community.  This past year, I discovered the remarkable qualities of this hidden gem, not by mistake but by purposely setting out to research and experiment with this mostly overlookedContinue reading “oh, gouache!”

she loves her flowers, but not in vases

There’s no doubt my love of flowers and of painting them were great gifts from my beautiful Mom.  In the Summer, you could look out any one of our Michigan farmhouse windows and see rows and mounds of color reaching up toward the sun.  If you were lucky enough to have chosen the right window, you mightContinue reading “she loves her flowers, but not in vases”

unframed, a vintage art journaling course

In my first art journaling course Unframed, I disassemble and transform an old, broken, framed print into a hand-bound art journal, using as many of its beautifully aged components as I can creatively bring forth. While dismantling the frame, I found it was stuffed with newspaper and some interesting looking cardboard as padding to holdContinue reading “unframed, a vintage art journaling course”

painting al fresco

As I write this in late March, I ‘m savoring the early signs of Spring, taking in the abundance of visual material for my current project.  Trees are in full bloom, flowers are breaking through their buds, butterflies are soaring and fiddlehead ferns are unfurling en masse in our Florida backyard.  The anticipated season of warmth isContinue reading “painting al fresco”

from my heart to yours

Love and hearts…I’m all about them!  When I create with my heart in prayer, love always follows, presenting a beautiful way of recording forever my conversations with God.  Leaving my heart on canvas allows me to return to my work years later and recall exactly how I felt. Developing our creative talents challenge us to be whoContinue reading “from my heart to yours”