In the past two years I've been exploring the combination of poetry and art, especially plein air painting. Today's journal gives you an idea of at least one way to approach this rewarding experience. [...]

What a hoot to find your childhood art being auctioned for top dollar on EBay. Do they know something I don't? [...]

My personal experiment for 2010 as I open my gallery is to see and paint life as half FULL. Better yet, as entirely FULL. What's yours? [...]

Ah, it's not a waiting, But an opening to joy... (more) [...]

Though I first started painting outdoors in the early 1980's, like many artists nevertheless I have often relied upon photography and sketches to execute my best paintings in the comfort of the studio. But gradually I find myself shifting to more and more outdoor work. Why? [...]

Today while giving a private art lesson in my studio, I was talking about the use of complementary colors, one of the secrets of the Impressionists. Instead of using black or brown or some random dark color to shade or to tone down a color, the Impressionists instead used its opposite on the color wheel, creating a perfect harmony that enhanced each color. Opposites were also placed side by side in areas of a painting, causing each to vibrate. As Tom Allen, a long gone but not forgotten art teacher who guided me in my youth, once explained, the whole color wheel, indeed, shows us the beauty and harmony at [...]

Why would any artist in their right mind open a gallery in this economy? Ten reasons why. [...]

Rodin reminds us that for the artist, "all is beautiful...because s(he) walks forever in the light of spiritual truth..." [...]

"One of the distinguishing characteristics of a great painter is that he knows when to stop. Many a painting which would have been great, if the artist had known when to stop, has been weakened and spoiled by over-finishing." [...]

Living in Sedona, Arizona, it’s easy to become enchanted by its magical landscapes. Sedona's towering red spires, mystical panoramas and dramatic skies are an ever-fascinating inspiration for painters. When I first moved here to return to art full-time, I took a plein air landscape workshop with John Cogan. He emphasized that every good painting tells a story, and that every part of the painting must support that story. One day at Red Rock Crossing he asked me to reflect on the question, “What is it about Sedona that inspires you? What is the story that it tells you?” Until then I had never exactly thought about why Sedona [...]