One thing I learned, early in my time of working with watercolors, was that the finished paintings needed to be protected. This protection has traditionally been provided by glass or plexiglass. I always wished there was some way to view the work more immediately, without the reflective aspect of glass getting in the way. Also,… Continue reading Display watercolors up close and personal
Today is the Autumnal Equinox–officially the first day of Fall (or Autumn). In honor of the changing season, I give you an ode celebrating one of Fall’s most popular gifts, the handsome and versatile pumpkin. To Pumpkin You kept the new world’shungry pioneers and pilgrims alivewith your soft sweet fleshand nutty seeds,their feet warm with… Continue reading Welcome Fall!
Are you a victim of impulse buying? The stores that hold the greatest temptation for me to buy on a whim are stationery / office supply stores (like Staples), craft stores (like Michaels), and art supply outlets (like our local Opus store). Often I regret these on-the-spot decisions but occasionally I don’t. That turned out… Continue reading Hand Lettering by Thy Doan Graves – Yes you should!
Art for Kids – Drawing by Kathryn Temple, for example, explains the basics of drawing and shading with pencil really well and has excellent sections on perspective, human body structure, drawing faces, and gestures. Another favourite I purchased a few months ago is The Drawing Book for Kids—365 Daily Things to Draw by Woo! Junior… Continue reading Some of my favourite art books are written for kids
Happy September! I’ve kept my promise and given my blog a summer break. Now summer is all but over—hard to believe but that’s what the calendar and the shrinking hours of daylight say—and it’s back to more regular posts here. I’ll try for weekly. Though the summer was a quiet one due to continuing Covid… Continue reading Welcome September!
Here, on the west coast of Canada, we’re experiencing a heat wave. At 3:15 p.m. Monday (June 28) I took a photo of the thermometer in the shade at our front door. I read it at 43C which converts to 109.4F. That felt blistering hot for us! And because we don't have air conditioning everything… Continue reading Heat Wave
Image from Pixabay A request to beta-read an as-yet-unpublished novel recently brought to mind again the challenges of writing a novel-length story. Two books that were a lifeline for me when I was writing my two Bible fiction novels were How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson and The 12… Continue reading Help for novel construction
t’s peony season here on the west coast of Canada! These gorgeous, fragrant flowers decorated the reception tables at our June wedding in Saskatchewan back in 1981, so my love affair with them is lasting. They are also an irresistible magnet for my camera and paintbrush. I was excited to see a peony in bloom… Continue reading Ode to peonies
Powerful Thinking by Joyce Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 starsIn Powerful Thinking, popular Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer challenges readers to take a deep look at twelve mindsets. Each mindset titles a chapter and is expressed as an affirmation (e.g. ”Mindset One: Because I Am in Christ I Can Do Everything I Need… Continue reading Powerful Thinking – review
Finding places to sell art is a challenge. That’s why, a few months ago, Pacific Arts Market caught my attention when I saw that a few of the local artists I follow on Instagram had shopfronts there. Pacific Arts Market is a physical marketplace in Vancouver. It operates out of the second floor of a… Continue reading Selling online through a sweet local art market
Violet Nesdoly 