Blue Jeans & Rubber Boots

Colour conveys emotion, creates depth, and breathes life into a piece.

Just as carpenters need to know their tools, understanding your palette is crucial for achieving harmony in your work as a fine artist. Knowing how your colours interact will allow you to paint with confidence and control without the frustration or guesswork of knowing which colours to grab.

I can’t tell you how many

As artists, we often find ourselves sticking to what we know—a familiar colour palette, a technique, or a subject we know we can execute well. Why? Because it works, it’s safe, and it feels comfortable. But what if we stepped off the beaten path? What if we tried something completely new?

Now is the time to do just that. Experiment.

Exploring new materials, techniques, or perspectives can

Whenever I teach a class, one of my students will undoubtedly comment that they want to learn how to paint like me. This comment always takes me aback, as I don’t know how to teach them that.

I can teach them composition, techniques, what to do, what not to do and how to improve a painting. I can teach them about art supplies and how to use them efficiently. But I can not teach them how to

Perception is described as a way of regarding, understanding or interpreting something, a mental impression. How does one person’s perception change from another?

Chace and I recently had a run-in with a neighbour’s dog. This huge dog came barrelling across from his yard and into ours, barking like a maniac while making a b-line towards my little boy. My perception of this was an absolute

As the publisher of an arts magazine I have certainly had many perks over the years. Not only have I had the great pleasure of connecting to many wonderful artists, I have also been able to organize and attend classes.

Twenty plus workshops later, I now hear the voices of my many mentors when I am creating.

Early on in my training I had the opportunity to take a class from Saskatchewan artist,

Some folks say to collect art for the investment, I say collect it for your heart.

What is art? Does looking at it make you happy? Does it evoke a sense of emotion? Why not include that in your living space?

We buy other things that make us happy. We go to antique stores and buy pretty little dishes, depression glass, antiques, etc. We buy pottery to enjoy, to use in our everyday life. We

I often think about how art changes a person’s life. You can buy art to decorate your home, to personalize your space, or to evoke an emotion. Studies show that the region of the brain that experiences emotions is activate when showing a pleasing piece of art. One could conclude that art helps us connect with ourselves.

How has art affected my personal world? Well, it has totally changed my

Welcome to my blog! I haven’t written a blog in a few years, but one of my new year’s resolution is to do more writing. Here we go.

I am a professional artist, art instructor and publisher. I have been publishing Island Arts Magazine for 15 years and painting for over 20 years. Wow, that makes me sound vintage! I enjoy life on the west coast of Canada. I am positive (for the most part) and