In the Fall I teach drawing classes.  My primary class is Sketchbook Journaling, a how-to course in the basic principles of learning to see line, value, form, and depth. The most important word in that sentence is “see.”  Learning to draw is learning to see.   This often comes as a surprise to new students.  When… Continue reading Back to Basics

I learned a new word recently:  ekphrasis.  It’s a Greek word meaning “description,” which would explain why spell checker has underlined it.  I learned this when I was sent an ekphrastic poem about my drawing, “This Way and That.”  An  ekphrastic poem is a type of poem that provides a vivid description of a scene… Continue reading Poetic License

Last week I participated in Paint the Peninsula, a plein air painting competition based in Port Angeles, Washington.  A juried group of 22 artists representing 11 states and two Canadian provinces were set loose to paint in oil, watercolor, pastel and acrylic this stunningly beautiful corner of the United States.  It was a great honor… Continue reading Paint the Peninsula!