The Art of the Flat Lay

A flat lay of mystical images, color studies, patterns, handlettering, ribbons, gathered from a mood board.

  What is a flatlay? A flat lay is a photo of an assortment of items laid on a flat surface (thus, flat lay). The photo is most often taken from directly above the items. The surface serves as the background to the photo. The objects usually describe a theme, like “a day at the…

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When Red Beret Meets Raspberry Beret

Girl in a raspberry colored 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”…

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Creative Exploration of the Woman in the Red Beret

Detail from the flat lay for The Woman in the Red Raspberry Beret painting. Possessions shown include French poetry book, lipstick, iphone earbuds, eyebrow shade kit, sketchbook, pen, wrist bangles.

  Do you like flat lays? I love using flat lays as part of my art process. They help me throughout the process, before I start, during the creation of, and after I’ve finished the painting. (I also love flat lays for flat lays’ sake.) This flat lay told me so much about the personality…

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Woo Your Muse

Hand-lettered, "Woo Your Muse", on a white to light blue gradient background.

  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…

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Inspiration 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…

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Letter to the Month of September

Dear September, What an interesting month you have been so far. I have felt so off-balance. Unsure of whether I could create paintings while committing to a regular social posting schedule (it is bizarre to create on command). Awkward as I transitioned to my first laptop (yes, I know I am late to the game…

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