Pen and Ink
Everyone Loves a Good Race
A happy accident: posting about my newest painting of horses and the 2nd of the Triple Crown horse races, the Preakness Stakes 2018, happening this weekend. So, I couldn’t resist illustrating one of the favorites to win, “Bravazo“. His trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has won with four horses before this. But really, it’s the…
Read MoreHappy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day! In developing a pen and ink portrayal of Sacagawea, one famous mother, I created a lot of “good try’s” (those images that didn’t make the grade). First off, I was working from my imagination, because there are no photos of Sacagawea. There is a painting of her with Lewis and Clark,…
Read MoreSelfie, Sorta
A selfie, sort of. A sketch of me, if I looked a little different. So, really, it’s a character sketch based on me. Sketching seems to be a series of choices. Which features do I include? Which features do I imply? How close to reality do I take this? How much do I let…
Read MoreRed Beret Work in Progress Video
Would you be inspired by a $70 million painting? I was. But it wasn’t about the money (though the auction sale total did amaze me). Really when I saw Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Beret”, the piece recently auctioned off at Sotheby’s, it was the undiluted, unapologetic emotion of the image that got me.…
Read MoreWhen Red Beret Meets Raspberry Beret
Ever get a song stuck in your head? As I worked on my version of Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Beret “, the song, “Raspberry Beret “, by Prince floated into my mind. I started to wonder if Prince had been inspired by Picasso, too. And then, I realized the poetry of following “…berry”…
Read MoreThe Girl Who Left Home to Learn David Hockney
Oh, I had such a fantastical afternoon, once upon a too bright Saturday. I found my way into the strangely dim, yet clear light of a brand new art center and its surprising gem of a show: David Hockney‘s Etchings from his book, “Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm“. These fairy tales are…
Read MoreA Backpack to Go with the Red Beret
Every hip, urban, tech-chick needs her accessories and the Woman in a Red Beret is no exception. So I designed this slouchy backpack with techie mesh side pockets and cord-and-metal-bead details to set off her ensemble, while packing a laptop for her on-the-go coding needs. Wish I had one… What’s your go-to accessory? You…
Read MoreWoo Your Muse
Your inspiration for the week: Woo Your Muse. And unfortunately for me, this is exactly what I am NOT doing right now. Instead, I’m nose-deep in preparing my taxes. But I’ll have to write more about the muse, one of my favorite subjects, after I’ve recorded my 80 billionth receipt and got the whole…
Read MoreJourney of Hope 2017 Exhibit: Unveiling the Completed Painting
Official title: A Portrait in Song Do you ever experience anxiety as you work on an important project? When I started this piece, I had anxiety about finding the image. I didn’t have an image in mind after reading the mental health journey story I was given by the exhibit coordinators. But that’s normal…
Read MoreInspiration for Your Week
When you work with your imagination, you work with the best in the world. Could you use a little inspiration? I know that I could use a little inspiration this week. Life threw me some curve balls like my son breaking his hand, a gas leak at our house, and looming radiation treatments for…
Read More