What happens in the process of creating art? How do the technical, thematic, visual, emotional, intellectual aspects tumble over one another in the process of bringing something from an idea into a tangible expression?
Sometimes, you just need a little encouragement from your friends… I have a young artist friend I used to work with, and we would sometimes take an afternoon break, go to one of the conference rooms with our art supplies, and paint together. She worked mostly with acrylic paints, but she was fascinated with watercolors, […]
Sometimes an image just sticks in your imagination. I was going through an online website set up to help you practice your figurative drawing and sketching skills. You enter a number of parameters for the images you want to sketch from (eg, male/female, clothed/nude, static/action, etc.) and a number of minutes for a timer. When […]
When I create a title for a particular figure sculpture I am working on, I have developed a practice of spending time sitting with the sculpture, letting the sculpture itself tell me what its name is.
It’s a step of faith to put a piece, representing days or weeks of work, into the kiln, close the lid, and bring up the fire.
I recently discovered something — Artist Trading Cards. Someone gave me a small packet of blank paper cards — 2.5″ x 3.5″. The description on the package said that they were Artist Trading Cards. Apparently, they have social media hashtags and everything. It said the intent was for artists to paint small original pieces of […]
I started following the Proko educational art site several years ago. The site is primarily dedicated to resources and videos for drawing, especially around the human figure, but they recently added in an emphasis on 3D art and sculpture. I enrolled in their first sculpture class, watching the videos and doing the homework assignments. This […]
As an artist, I often find my journey following odd little twists and turns. As a Christ follower, the Holy Spirit is the one who owns my creative process, and the manner in which even the little bits of beauty I try to create find ways to speak life to those around me. Some time […]
An artist friend said something a little while ago on Instagram which made me stop and think.
I have always been fascinated by how our arms and shoulders silently communicate our thoughts and emotions. Working with clay forces us to deal with the fact that the arms are the most slender feature of the body, and thus pose some serious technical issues
My first actual responses to the self isolation and “shelter at home” of the CoVID-19 crisis came as a simple image in my imagination — a blindfold.
It’s impossible to ignore the impact of the recent CoVID-19 pandemic on our lives and the way we interact with the people we are used to having around us. As an artist, I am finding it equally difficult to ignore the impact of our current situation on my art and creative process.
In 2014, at the OM Arts, Incarnate School of Art and Mission in Italy, I began a personal tradition. I spent two weeks with the students (out of the three month program) as they worked, building a community of Christ following artists. My role was observer and mentor, coming along side them as they created […]