Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. He was referring to a life governed by rules and routines imposed by others. Such a life is not freedom, but rather unconscious at best. Oppression at worst. When I begin quoting…

You love your new oil painting pastime, but replacing art supplies keeps getting more expensive. Maybe you feel a little guilty about the costs. Maybe you decide to paint less often. Another option is to stretch out the paint, but does the end result…

How easy it is to forget that taking a class is a leap of faith. No doubt you have to be a keen artist to attend a workshop. It takes a commitment in time and money. Yet we often believe that is all it takes. But it is the courage part…

Do you reach the middle of the year and wonder what happened in the past six months? It can be a shock to discover that your resolutions are lying in shreds or have been forgotten. What about the plans you had to start new creative projects…

Over the years a popular question from new artists is, why paint in oils? After all, we perceive oils as more expensive and dad for your health. Plus, the solvents are dangerous. Oil paints are also difficult to use. Paint in acrylics and remove all these worries…

It was George Bernard Shaw who said “Youth is wasted on the young.” I sometimes remind my young adult sons about this when they are getting uppity. This amusing quote, like all good quotes, has more than a grain of truth to it…

Are you a creative person? Is making art a daily or regular thing you need to do? Heck, are you making a living partly or completely from art? If you are, then you have played this game many times. Maybe you are very good at it or starting out as a newbie…

Family gatherings are fascinating experiences. They can be wonderful moments of shared love and joy. They can also tip to the other extreme and result in conflict. But usually everyone makes up again and all ends well…

It is usually about this time of year when I start to lose momentum. I start off in January with a plan and get stuck during February. Come March and I am running on empty. This is a familiar pattern for me. Perhaps you can relate?

They say that there are three chronic types of fear: the fear of failure, fear of success and fear of change. Which one do you relate to? Studies suggest that the greatest fear out of these three is the fear of change. I have to agree based on…