In the Studio

Your local community art organization is a great resource. Most likely they host classes, opportunities to showcase work and space to meet other artists. Artist work can be very isolating and it's important to get out and talk about your work with other artists as well as be open to what others are doing. The Fremont Art Association is that place for me. I started by participating in the annual art show and then over time assumed different roles that I found interesting and a

I've been reading Mason Currey's book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work and I absolutely love it. It's a collection of descriptions about the way artists, scientists and thinkers work. Currey compiles a great collection of names from Francis Bacon to Charles Darwin to Maya Angelou and puts them in an order that allows you to see continuities and compare differences in the daily rituals of creative minds. Some commonalities that I've read are that most creative minds work in sho

When I have some free time, I like to watch art technique videos on YouTube and one of my favorites is Jane Davies. She offers paid online workshops as well but, her long list of free YouTube videos are extremely helpful and cover a wide range of topics. She focuses on everything from mixing colors to collage techniques to mono printing. Her medium is mostly acrylics and her style is very free and abstract. I like how her videos are simple and easy to follow. Even if your sty

If you're thinking of getting your work into an art shows, CaFE is a great website to find one that might fit. It's free for artists and allows you to look through an extensive database for calls for entries all over the country. I usually sort by state because I like to find shows that won't require me to ship my work too far. It helps you keep track of which shows you've entered and which pieces were accepted or rejected. When you submit for a call you upload your images to

If you have a membership to Costco, it's a great resource for artist who want to sell cards of their paintings. I used it to make a batch of cards that I can sell during the holidays as well as at the Fremont Art Association. It's very simple and the quality of the prints are pretty good. Go to Costco Photo Center and create an account. I know, I know, another account! But, it's worth it because you can then save your projects. You can use their service to create a variety of

If you've read the book The Artist's Way, then you know the idea of taking yourself on an art date. One of my favorite places in the Bay Area for an art date is the San Jose Art Museum. I love this museum because it's small. The main exhibits are on two floors and there are usually only three or four exhibitions going on at once. Because it's small you can see the entire museum in a couple hours and then treat yourself to a nice meal in the museum or at a nearby local restaur

When I first started painting, mixing colors was one the most frustrating challenges. I didn't know what I was doing so, I was wasting a lot of paint. I understood the basics of the color wheel but, I couldn't get the more elegant and sophisticated colors that I wanted. Especially when working on a landscape, a particular shade of green or brown could really change the intent of the painting. I started looking for books and classes and over time, every little bit of advice he

If you've never seen one of Teoh Yi Chie's videos, definitely go check it out. He's a youtuber and blogger who puts out tons of videos and blog posts about on-site sketching, reviews of art books and materials, tips for painting and drawing and a variety of other interesting art related videos. His videos are consistent, informative and well-edited. The big bonus is that he's likable and has a calm, relatable personality. I also enjoy that his videos are in Singapore so I get

I'm taking a break from the portraits because I have an itch to scratch. I've really been wanting to rework some of my old abstracts so, I put the portraits away for now. I started with this original 30" x 35" painting that I did about a year ago. I liked the simplicity of it at the time but, I was ready to change it completely. So, I went in on a Saturday to just play and this is what resulted. It was interesting but, something about the left side really bothered me. I didn'

I'm really excited about my new project. I keep meeting these amazing women artists in the Bay Area that I want to know more about but, feel stalker-like if I ask too many questions. So, I decided to give myself a reason to reach out to them. I started this project because I was curious about the work and process of these really talented artists. The project is really for my own learning as an artist but, it's also a place to showcase artists in the Bay Area that I admire. I