Ink flourishes

It seems like we blink and month expires. Here we are at the end of November. I am almost finished up with my teaching schedule for the year. It seems like the studio desk was bustling from one day to the next and I am so very grateful to my dear students, friends, and colleagues who hosted my online courses. There is more to come in 2022 and I hope to dig deeper in areas that have been requested by students. I have some new courses coming up! If you would like my upcoming confirmed teaching…

This morning I finished teaching my last class of the year. I was teaching The Enchanted Meadow for the Ardington School and demonstrating some special request techniques for the group of students. What a delight to paint this little white rabbit. As I closed the class, my heart was filled with joy and such pride for my students. Not just this group of students, but all the students I am blessed to see each year. Throughout the year, I saw some incredible growth with my dear students as well…

The journey of an artist takes a lifetime. This blog post is meant to encourage those who want to improve their skills but just feel as if they have hit a plateau. Let me assure you, we all hit that same plateau. We all come to a point where are work seems to be stagnating at one point and we are not able to work past whatever barrier is in our way. We seek out more classes, more instruction, more books, more online lessons and purchase more supplies. But the answer is not in any of those…

Once again, it is December and I turn my calendar page. Outside my studio window, I see an ice rink! We are having our fisrt ice storm of the season. The birds and squirrels are nowhere to be found but I will fill their feeders just in case. For the past few days, I have been painting a small study piece. I get so inspired by seeing the birds in the branches and I want to capture that beauty. Nature is so elusive and I want to appreciate the small moments of peace and wondet that it…

I can hardly believe it is already February and I have turned another calendar page. Here in Ontario, Canada we are still in lockdown but I feel grateful for my quiet little studio with a view of the back yard. The squirrels are entertaining to watch and bright cardinals and blue jays still frequent the bird feeders. I feel so refreshed when I see the colourful bird next to the snow. It seems like I just finished up my Notes for the New Year class. Thank you all for your response and for…

The journey of an artist takes a lifetime. This blog post is meant to encourage those who want to improve their skills but just feel as if they have hit a plateau. Let me assure you, we all hit that same plateau. We all come to a point where are work seems to be stagnating at one point and we are not able to work past whatever barrier is in our way. We seek out more classes, more instruction, more books, more online lessons and purchase more supplies. But the answer is not in any of those…

Sending all of you around the world a message of Hope as December comes to a close. Many of you will be able to see friends and family in the coming weeks but others may find themselves on their own this season. If you find yourselves with some time on your hands, I filmed a little video that hopefully is simple to follow. My hope is that it brings you a sense of calm and peace during this season as well as a sense of accomplishment. Enjoy the process and let me know how you do! I hope to…

I don't quite understand where May went so quickly, but here we are in June. It is a beautiful month here in my little garden as flowers blossom, birds enjoy the bird bath and lots of squirrels visit each day. I love my sweet garden. I have come to terms that it will never be completely weeded or in a perfect state. There will always be work to do on it. I spend an hour each morning watering, weeding and checking on it. I don't want to miss a single bloom. I have said this so many times, but…

Hopefully you have done about 100 flourishes on a j, y or g. This page shows how you make the same flourish on a b, h, d, or k. You simply turn the page upside down and do the same flourish. The l is a little trickier. You have to be pretty careful when you join the stem to the base part of the letter. Notice the same flourish can be done on a slanted letter as well as an upright letter. Pulling a pretty cross bar on the t utilizes the same graceful curve. The second and third y's show how…