Windsurfers at La Pocatière, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US. Sue Leo is a graphic design professor who has been my gallerist, my student, and of course my friend. She recently told me a story that should encourage all of you who’ve dropped your art and aren’t sure how to pick it back up. It’s about music, but it’s applicable to how to start painting again, for all of you who once loved art but lost the thread. Sue’s always loved music. As a junior in college, she had a part-time job as a choir director. “I was probably the most affordab ..read more

Skylarking II, 18×24, oil on linen, $1855, includes shipping in the continental US. Yesterday I talked to someone about taking my watercolor workshop aboard schooner American Eagle. We discussed some critical issues, like whether her husband was allowed to come with us. Snoring, I told her, is not a deal-breaker. (That, by the way, is the second most commonly-expressed concern after the food, which is fantastic. The answer is, nobody cares if you snore.) She’s been out on the water herself many times. I hardly needed to tell her that Penobscot Bay is a transcendental experience. The ocean’s k ..read more

Downpour, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and handling in continental US Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but it’s raining. I love these spring rains; it’s chilly but not cold, and the plants begin their rebirth. But as Ken DeWaard says, who needs another grey painting? Actually, I disagree. Sea fog can be very beautiful, as I hope I’ve demonstrated below. And if you don’t believe me, ask the great Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. Sea Fog, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $696 unframed. Painting rainbows is tough. They’re luminous, shimmering, and there ..read more

Somewhere in Baxter State Park, watercolor sketch on hot press, 8.5X5.5 I was scheduled to teach on Monday evening, but with the path of totality going directly over the important viscera of our country, several of my students were busy. I’m awfully glad we rescheduled, since I’m not sure what my schedule is like for 2044. My truck and I had a history long before I bought it in 2021. Jane Chapin and I once nearly drove it off a cliff-edge. We then backed out through a thicket of piñons. It’s only fitting that those scratches are now my scratches, and I think I just added some new ones. W ..read more

Sue Leo teaches Sandy Quang to hang artwork. Note that Sue has the wall bisected with one chalk line and another runs horizontally. Chalk lines can be brushed off when you’re done with them. “Do you have any blog posts on how to hang an art show?” my correspondent asked. “One of my students has her first solo show coming up. I’m looking for articles with guidelines or general best practices.” Here goes. Plan the layout: Before hanging anything, research the exhibition space and plan the layout. That can be as simple as visiting and taking measurements or as complex as drawing a plan. Consider ..read more

The Whole Enchilada, 12X16, oil on archival canvas, $1159 unframed. Yesterday marked four years since we got home from our ill-starred and ill-fated trip to Patagonia, which just happened to coincide with the start of COVID. I’ve written about it starting here, and I don’t need to retell that awful and awesome adventure. However, struggling through spring snow yesterday reminded me of how anxious we were to leave El Chaltén as winter closed in on the southern Andes. The Whole Enchilada was my second to last painting before we finally left the glaciers. My final one will remain forever unfinis ..read more

Early light on Moon Lake, 9X12, oil on archival canvasboard, $696 includes shipping and handling in continental US. Last month I wrote that I was too idiosyncratic to be a forger. It requires sublimating your own creativity to another’s vision. What’s the fun in that? You might as well be an engineer; it pays better. US copyright law says you can’t copy someone else’s work, except under limited circumstances. One of these is ‘transformative use,’ which has a bit of an “I’ll know it when I see it” definition. Eastern Manitoba River, 6X8, oil on archival canvasboard, $348 includes shipping and ..read more

Early Spring on Beech Hill, oil on canvasboard, Carol L. Douglas, 12X16, $1449 framed includes shipping in continental US. “What do you suggest for the dreaded easel terrors, as in, frozen or painter’s block on how to continue?” a reader asked me. As often happens, the painting she’s stuck on is going very, very well. I can’t tell if she is afraid to ‘ruin’ it, or if she’s blind to its qualities. Take a Break: Stepping away from your work gives you a fresh perspective. Go for a brisk walk, since exercise boosts creativity. Or do something completely unrelated to give your subconscious mind ti ..read more

The Raising of Lazarus, ~20X24. Available on request. There’s a common misconception that knowing the juror improves your odds for a show. I’ve found the reverse to be true. Knowing the juror usually ends up being a liability, since your friends bend over backwards to avoid the appearance of impropriety. This is a story where knowing someone slightly resulted in bad press. For those of you who don’t know the story, Lazarus died, and four days later, Jesus went into Lazarus’ tomb and resurrected his friend. This was Jesus’ last miracle before the events of Good Friday and Easter, and prefigure ..read more

Ravenous Wolves, oil on canvas, 24X30, $3,478.00 framed includes shipping and handling in continental US. I was fishing around on my desk and found an old Zoom class outline with a scrawled note that read, “paint your dreams.” Alas, I can’t remember the context or who said it, but it struck me as wise advice. What does “paint your dreams” even mean? “Paint your dreams” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of visualizing our aspirations and goals. When someone says “paint your dreams,” they’re encouraging you to articulate your dreams as a first step towards making them a reality. But her ..read more