Going from the blank canvas to a finished one can feel like the the 12 trials of Hercules, an epic journey.  I had a gesso’d canvas, actually a wood panel, fully prepared to tackle the challenges that were waiting as I began playing. The first challenge happened when I started layering some colors and pattern and it looked hideous [...]

Ever have a day where you don’t want to think?  When every decision feels hard?That was today for me.  I just wanted to play in my art journal with zero pressure to make decisions. No hunting for things, no looking for the “right” something.  Just play.  So that meant using whatever was within arms reach. I [...]

My muse has a twisted sense of humor and she likes to make certain points to me.  I have had a lot of monkeys on my back, more accurately in my head, that have been getting in my way. As I was searching for something that should have been easy to find on my computer,  I [...]

There is no expiration date on collage material, it’s not milk after all.  But there is a point at which I have to face the reality that if the “perfect” project hasn’t come along yet, it probably isn’t ever coming.  I might as well just use it. One of the pieces of paper in here, [...]

You know that feeling of clarity and focus you have when inspiration strikes?  When there is no doubt as to what you should do.  That’s NOT what was happening here.  I had no clarity. No focus.  Every decision was full of doubt because of that inner perfectionist pestering me. So what do I do when I have days [...]

What makes a great canvas for play? One that I don’t like anymore!  There were marks all over this, there was texture, there was pattern, there was color. But together, they just didn’t rock my world. At one time, I had liked this canvas, but not any more. This was a perfect opportunity to play! [...]

The plan for this canvas went horribly wrong. The idea in my head did not translate one bit the way I intended on the canvas.  That is a polite way of saying “Yuck, it was rear end ugly!”   But it was just an O.O.P.S., an Outstanding Opportunity Presenting Suddenly, that started the journey of this canvas. [...]

My inner critic was relentlessly running roughshod over my mojo.  My broken ankle was healing just fine but my creative bones seemed unable to go back to the way they were.  Turns out just as the ankle needed rehab, so did my mojo. It was like there was big cloud following me around blocking out [...]

What are the best supplies for art play?   Whatever is within arm’s reach!  If you’re feeling a bit tricked by the headline, I was too when I started playing.  I hunted for the best supplies to use but experience taught me that it wasn’t the supplies that made the difference.  It was just diving in with [...]