I spent a very productive week at a cabin in Wilsonia, a private community within Kings Canyon National Park. The idea was to talk to lots of people, to learn and write down their stories, impressions, memories and thoughts on cabin life there. I was fairly certain that I had all the photos I needed […]
How I Write a Blog Post
Usually I begin a blog post with a relevant photo. There must be a reason it seems relevant, so I ponder why you might want to see it. The thoughts begin flowing, and boy of boy, I LOVE to type because the words can keep up with my thoughts. I type fast, I make mistakes, […]
A California Artist Goes to Washington, Part Five
While I was in Washington working diligently on the upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia, I had the delightful companionship of Penny, a little black dot of a dog, whom I called “Pen Dot”. She took the edge off missing my three cats. And here is an average view on an average morning on an […]
A California Artist Goes to Washington, Part Four
My trip to Washington was to learn Adobe InDesign so I can put together the upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia. It was a business trip, of course. I worked very hard, of course. You’d expect nothing less of me, right? However, it was necessary to take another ferry ride to another town to visit […]
A California Artist Goes to Washington, part two
In Washington, this California artist took her first yoga class. Being a get-‘er-dun sort of chick, I think we could have skipped the nap at the end, and possibly some of the soothing talk about erasing our minds at the beginning. (And how in the world is one supposed to “breathe with your spine”? I […]
A California Artist goes to Washington
Washington is a fantastically beautiful state. I’ve been there in many seasons and loved every one. The rain doesn’t bother me because I get to go home. The gray sometimes feels like a relief from relentless sunshine. Grape hyacinth become naturalized. There are trails in neighborhoods for walking. Churches offer coffee in their lobbies and […]
Eight Reasons this California Artist Chose Pencil
My last post ended with this question: if I am so taken with color, a “color junkie”, then why did I choose graphite as my medium? Simple – I love to draw. Oh come on, there must be more to it than that! Okay, yes there is. 1. It is easy to find pencil and […]
Product or Process
In knitting, there are regular discussions about whether one is a product knitter or a process knitter. This is in reference to one’s motivation – is it the journey that you enjoy, or is it the destination? When it comes to drawing, I am both a process and a product artist. The pencil feels like […]
3 Little Known Factors that Could Affect Your Ability to Draw
Pencil drawing from the upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia I have a theory about people who draw. It is based on teaching people how to draw since 1994. In addition to teaching people how to draw, I draw myself. (Oh? You didn’t know that about me?) I have also spoken to many people who […]
Book Report
This is an update on the The Cabins of Wilsonia, not a report of books I’m reading. Sometimes I put 2 drawings on a single sheet of paper because it is just that much less to handle. (read “lose”) And I am frugal with paper. (read “lots of things”) This is my Wilsonia stack of […]