All I ever wanted as a new painter was to paint something that looked like the picture in my mind, and every time my brush touched the paper, I was either moving closer to the dream or further away. And it was so hard to know!
I’d put down a brush stroke and be stricken by doubt and immediately dab it up again. My left hand held the brush to apply the paint; the right hand, a wad of paper towel to lift it out again. So much uncertainty and fear of getting it wrong!
Read MoreWhat if heart-led watercolor could be the starting point, instead of introduced as an intermediate transition toward a personal loose style?
Read MoreI think there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding professional artists. We have a level of skill other artists aspire to, and we often present our work with confidence and pride. Mistakes aren’t as visible, leading to the assumption that maybe we didn’t make any (ha!) and so often this leads to the idea that we’ve “arrived” at some place of achievement where doubt doesn’t enter, where struggle is past, where we are just able to do exactly what we plan to do in our work.
And maybe that is true for other artists. I can only speak for myself, and, having painted in watercolor for twenty-four years, I am still teaching myself to paint.
Read MoreAuthenticity in art comes from being “in the moment",” being present with what is happening on the paper and trusting that if I place the brush stroke that feels right, right now, the next step will reveal itself in the process. Maybe life is much that way as well.
Read MoreSome of my favorite landscape paintings came from the worst reference photos. I can still remember the days of film cameras. We had a vintage Pentax and I wasted so much film trying to figure out the shutter speed and aperture, and when the photos came back I inevitably found myself with a handful of washed-out, bland images! I think this is the stuff we get to tell our kids,
Read MoreIs a landscape painting just a picture of a place? Or is it something more?
In landscape painting, our desire is to do something more than a photo can achieve. If you’re a landscape lover, you have a deeper goal than just showing the appearance of a scene:
We love the process of painting - it’s just fun to paint!
We want to express ourselves. In painting a landscape, we show OUR point of view, our experience -our feelings about a place, the memories attached to it.
Fanna gave me permission to share a bit of our exchange as she purchased my painting, “If You Can’t See the Forest, Let Go of the Trees,” and the story behind the painting. Her email was so meaningful and I’m so honoured to be able to share part of it with you.
Read MoreYellow can be a favorite hue for creating sun-drenched beauty in watercolor, or a muddy disaster! If you’ve been struggling to mix and use this beautiful primary color, I have some tips to share that can help you choose the right yellows for your watercolor palette and mix and use them more confidently, with better results. Let’s explore!
Read More“Well, I guess I’m just not a loose painter.”
You’ve tried. You love the loose, intuitive style of watercolor artists like Jean Haines. You’ve followed tutorials and watched videos, but when you try to paint your own loose painting, you quickly fall into your usual habits. Detailed copywork of your reference photo, tight pencil sketches and muddy overworking seem to be an intrinsic part of your personal style, and you feel like it might just be the way it’s meant to be for you.
What style is for you? Can you choose your style, and when should you give up on pursuing the style you yearn to make your own?
Read MoreI think a good road trip is a lot like a good painting session. As we planned our Arizona vacation, many of our friends who had wintered in Arizona had advice on where to go and what to do. We did research, and made some plans, but once we set out, flexibility became essential from the moment we left home, as we started our trip with a canceled flight that tripled our travel time. Once we finally touched down, picked up our rental car and hit the road, we were not solely bound by the map and our game plan.
Read MoreDo you know how powerful your mind is? Our thoughts determine the choices we make and over the years I’ve become more and more convinced that mindset is the biggest determiner of whether you will succeed or struggle, and this is as true artistically as it is in other areas of life.
Read MoreEvery now and then I get an email from a student asking, Angela, I’ve recently lost a loved one and haven’t been able to paint since it happened. Do you think I’ll ever be able to paint again?
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot about one of the scariest words in life; transition. Transitions aren’t just about change; they are the process of bridging the gap between where you are and where you are going.
Read MoreI found my high school art portfolio, and it includes the very first watercolor paintings I ever did, and they are terrible; truly a testament to the power of practice. It's not magic that got me to this place where I love what I create, but many years of building skill in technique and experimenting to get closer to my heart.
Read MoreFrom February 4-25th, you can work through the lessons in Watercolour Workout with me. In the course, you'll receive a dozen exercises to help you think outside the box and paint more freely.
Read MoreAnnouncing workshops in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec, Canada for August & September 2019.
Read MoreWe hope for a long time that "artist" is who we can be, but it's not until we see potential in our art that we feel we can own the title of artist. Somewhere along the way we create a painting and think, "Yes! This is art. I am an artist."
Read MoreWhen I stopped thinking, “I can’t paint that way because no one will understand it,” and just painted what made my heart happy, I found a freedom and joy that I’ve never wanted to lose.
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