Thanksgiving

I'm so thankful for so many things. I was blessed to spend this past Thanksgiving at my parents house with my family. One of the photos is of my youngest niece, the other is my daughter and me from Halloween. My daughter has become the family photographer, and I'm so grateful for that too! I love being able to share our memories with others and even re-live them by going over past photos.

My Birthday Gift

I just wanted to share the cool birthday gift my daughter made for me. It's a huge collage of photos of my family. I LOVE photos! My daughter knowing this made this up for me. It's hanging in my studio where I can clearly see it everyday.

The Bob Ross Seascapes

I'm offering a seascape class in August. I tend to make my seas a bit on the "stormy" side. I guess I like seeing that water churned up! Seascapes can be a bit more difficult, but don't let that intimidate you from trying them. This method of painting is about making the brushes work for you.

My Workspace

I've had some folks ask about my studio space where I do most of my paintings. Well, here it is! When you first walk in, I've got some comfy chairs and framed demo's of the paintings I offer classes on. As you look back, you can see my main easel with some of my wildlife paintings (at the beginning phases) hanging in the back. I also have a long table in front of some glass sliding doors for some of my smaller works. Great light is essential! As you may have noticed I have sheers over the windows to diffuse the natural light without weakening it. This is pretty much how it looks most days except I generally have my palette and a wet canvas out. Staying organized helps me to be able to put my focus on my painting. If you're planning on painting fairly often (which I hope you do!!) find a spot that you can dedicate for your supplies. Give yourself some space to be creative!!!!

Meet Chassie

Meet my little dog Chassie. She's one of the cutest, sweetest dogs you would ever meet. She was hanging out on the deck with us the other night so I shot this photo. I LOVE my dog!!!

Using the Bob Ross Painting Knife for Mountain Snow

Ok, so many, MANY folks ask me how to get that snow to break on the classic Bob Ross "three peak mountain". What's the best advice...besides practice? Hold that knife with a very gentle, loose touch. I recommend only holding the base with two fingers and only tight enough that you don't drop it.

Happy Painting!!!

Practice Paintings

Well, we've all heard the saying "practice makes perfect". I feel like I've spent my lifetime trying to find a way around that rule. I still haven't. The fact is, if you want to get better at something, you have to work at it. Even those super-gifted people, who seem to be able to play an instrument by ear, or sing like an angel....well every one of them that I know work on their gift.

So, what am I trying to say? If you're interested in something, start working on it. Don't expect to be a master the first time you try it. Let yourself fail, then try again. Believe me, you'll learn from your mistakes.

These are a couple of my "practice paintings". (Chuckle...) You should have seen my first try's at this method of painting. (Yikes!!) Anyway, I'm hoping to look back and see even more improvement as I teach this technique.

Remember....practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!

I have the Joy of Painting down in my heart...

Do you remember that song from Sunday school, or bible school when you were a kid that goes: "I have joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart...where!...down in my heart...WHERE!!...down in my heart!! Each time we got to the word "where" I would scream it as loud as I could. (Chuckle...) I guess I still have a loud voice. Now I'm planning on using that voice & these hands to share the Bob Ross technique of painting. My first exposure to art technique was seeing Bob on tv. I remember thinking "I can do that!!!" Well, turns out I can! (And so can you for that matter.) So, I'll keep singing my song and sharing my gift with others.

As a note, the guy in the photo with me is Doug the instructor who led my certification classes. He describes his personality as "snarky". (Such an interesting word...snarky.) Anyway, I'll have to post more about my experiences there later.