8 year blogiversary 9.29.2022

This week marks my 8 year blogiversary! And here's some advice I found on the interweb for Creatives. I haven't yet found the author. Creatives You're more than what you make. Your productivity does not determine your value. It's okay to do nothing sometimes. Not everything you do has to result in a product. Not …

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wordless with pears 9.15.22

watercolor portrait 8.18.2022

My youngest child Berit married her sweetheart Brian earlier this month. I gifted them with a watercolor portrait. Brian and Berit, ink and watercolor on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper, 9x12 This is the reference photo. Here's a very early stage of the painting. And me with the finished, framed piece:)

wordless and green 6.30.2022

Flattening watercolor paintings 6.16.2022

When I create a watercolor painting, sometimes the paper buckles and warps, depending how much water I use in the painting. This post shows how I flatten those warped paintings. Here you can see how my small paintings warped. Start with a flat board or surface. I'm using a clean piece of paper, too, because …

making bisque molds – 5.19.2022

In my small ceramics studio, I use a variety of homemade bisque molds to make some of my ceramic forms. Bisque (also referred to as biscuit) molds are clay forms I fire to about 1915 degrees, or cone 04. I wrote about how I use the bisque molds here. In this post, I'll explain how …

spring art sales 4.21.2022

I'm participating in two art events this spring, both in Madison, Wisconsin. The Marquette-Atwood Neighborhood Art Walk is Sunday, May 1, 2022, from 11am – 5pm. I'll be selling my ceramics out of my garage, so I'll be there rain or shine. I'll be at 2802 Center Avenue in Madison, and my garage is behind …

using bisque molds 4.7.2022

As a ceramic handbuilder, it's nice to have molds on hand. I can use a mold to make several matching pieces, or to quickly create a form to build off of. Molds are typically made from plaster, but I don't want plaster in my home studio because 1) it takes more equipment that I don't …

recycling packing materials 3.10.2022

I've long lived by the motto "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," and I bring that philosophy into my art studio, too. One way I do that is with recycled packaging materials. I sell ceramics in my Etsy shop, and shipping those pieces requires careful packaging and shipping. Ceramics are a delicate and breakable, and need lots of …

blind contour self-portraits 2.24.2022

I've started a series of self portraits using the blind contour method of drawing. Blind contour drawing is a technique that some suggest improves hand-eye coordination and hones observation skills. But I use it for the results I get. It's my favorite drawing method. In blind contour drawing, the artist looks only at the subject …