This week I published a children’s picture book called The Claddagh Fairy. Look how cute she is! Book Description: Anna’s Grandpa gives her an Irish Claddagh ring. He sends her a jewelry box from Ireland with a fairy inside. Anna’s ring brings the fairy to life and teaches Anna an important lesson about friendship, loyalty and love. This illustrated ..read more

I just finished this painting. I did the entire painting in one sitting with three colors and one big brush. It felt so good to have an idea, follow through and finish. Recently my creative practice has been sporadic. A lot of the creative things I do are tied to work or school. Did I ..read more

1. seek inspiration The first step is to seek inspiration: Take a walk, flip through a magazine, visit the beach, a park, a museum, go away for a weekend or on a vacation. There are so many ways, big and small, to find inspiration. Sometimes just the mindset of looking for inspiration, will helps us ..read more

I’ve always thought about creativity as a journey not a destination. I sometimes visualize it as the Candyland board game, where there are stopping points, like the Peppermint forest. The creative journey stopping points are subjects and mediums. Mine were things like seascapes, linocut carving, surface pattern design. Remember in Candyland, those “shortcuts” where you jump ahead on the board? They remind me of ..read more

Infinite amount of Ideas? Most creative people have an abundance of ideas. At least that’s how it is for me. It’s the follow through that can be a challenge. Here are my tips for weeding through your list and getting stuff done: Write it down Keep a list of your ideas. It feels good to empty ..read more

Read by the Fire? It’s 14 degrees out, but feels like 5! Lately, I’m snuggling up and reading a lot, including “Family Business” about life and crime in NYC’s Chinatown from the perspective of Detective Linda Chin. “The Hunting Party” a modern Agatha Christie tale, about Oxford friends that takes place in the wilderness of Scotland. “Everyone’s Invited. Everyone’s ..read more

It’s hard to believe, it’s been eight years since I made a resolution that changed my life. On New Year’s Eve in 2013, I made a creative resolution to make creativity a part of my daily life. Prior to that I dabbled in a few drawing and painting classes, but I wanted more. Back then I didn’t know ..read more

This year we are doing something new. Usually, we each pick a name out of a hat and buy a gift for that person. This year, my sister-in-law suggested we buy a “few of our favorite things.” Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittensBright copper kettles and warm woolen mittensBrown paper packages tied up with stringsThese are a few ..read more

I’ve been working at a museum since September. Last week, I learned that on average people view a work of art for only FIVE seconds! Can you believe that? Actually, who am I kidding? I’ve certainly zipped through a museum focused on what was for lunch. In my role at the museum, I work with ..read more

Last week, I participated in a virtual art workshop. A small piece of canvas was supplied to participants prior to the workshop. I taped my canvas square to a piece of paper, so I could paint to the edges without getting paint all over. After the workshop was over and I removed my canvas square, I had areas of ..read more