Artist Ruth / Art Is Truth
What is Expressive Line?
Today I received a question: What is expressive line? I'll be teaching a workshop at the end of the month to a local group of experienced artists, so the question set me back a bit. But as I tried to answer it, I found it difficult to explain myself. I started...
Skip Lawrence Workshop – Registration Open
What I appreciate about Skip Lawrence’s workshops are the combination of rigorous critique, practical, concrete exercises and exciting examples.
Connect the Dots: Quiet Constellations
As a kid, I loved doing connect the dots worksheets. It was usually something that was meant to keep kids busy and quiet. You were meant to connect the dots in order to create an image and then color it in. What I loved about it was how something that looked chaotic...
But Wait, There’s More!
There's more to painting than assembling parts. A few weekends ago I had the chance to share my art and my process with students in my “Land Lines” workshop for Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. I also had the chance to discuss my work with a few viewers during the...
Art Is The Antidote
If Art is the Antidote, what is the ailment? Take your pick: Politics Boring Walls Common Cold Family Responsibilities Global Warming Ennui Indecision Aging Social Media Burnout Now, I don't mean to imply that art can cure the common cold, prevent aging, or solve...
How to Hygge – Autumn Art Edition
How to Hygge Hygge - noun: (hoo-ga) The Danish word for enjoying life's simple pleasures and creating coziness. This time of year I feel torn between nesting and getting out. I think this Danish idea of Hygge is a perfect way to describe the elemental feelings of...
Art Workshops: Anything Can Happen
Anything can happen at an art workshop! I'm recently returned from teaching a week-long class for Creative Arts Community at Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett, OR. It was so rewarding to watch each student explore and grow in their personal expression. One of the main...
Cultivate Insouciance – Avoid Doubt
Most artists need to remember to cultivate insouciance. What is insouciance, you ask? It is a word of French origin that means light-hearted unconcern or nonchalance. This is the attitude of children as they create. We should use child-artists as our role models....
Wherever You Go….
“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” - Anita Desai Saint-Cirq LaPopie, One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France Why do we love to travel? For me, the sights, smells, sounds and textures of life in different places stimulate my imagination to create...
Discover the Silence
Read about why silence is so important to me.
Plein Air Packing – Giveaway
Paring down your painting materials for plein air painting or travel can be a challenge. I’ve been testing color combinations, narrowing my choices for which colors, paper and sketchbook I’ll bring with me on my trip to France. I hope this post gives you some ideas of...
Fun is Good
"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good." - Dr. Seuss It's been a fun week of experimentation. Through the generosity of good friends, I've had the chance to try out two mediums I haven't had a chance to explore before. On Monday, I gathered...
New Watercolor Block Giveaway – Plus: Fail Better
Why do we paint? Sometimes I think the thing that keeps up working is our inability to create to the level of our imagination. "Maybe this time I'll get it!" Each painting I complete has something to teach me - sometimes it is a relative success, and I can share it...
WIN This Beautiful Hahnemühle Travel Journal
A beautiful travel journal is one of the first things to pack for your trip abroad. Hahnemühle sent me some journals and watercolor papers to try. Just for fun they included extras for me to share with my readers! You can enter the drawing below.
Art Term Thursday: Meraki
meraki [may-rah-kee] Meraki is a Greek word that describes doing something with love, creativity and pure soul. It means leaving a little piece of yourself in your creative work
5 Rules for Art Students
I have compiled the following 5 rules for art students to help learners get the most out of a class or workshop. I know it might seem like these are common-sense guidelines. However, I am surprised at how many times our monkey-minds take over when we are in an art...
12 Great Gifts Ideas for Artists
One of the participants in my Colors of France workshop asked me for gift ideas for artists who are traveling with us, so I thought I’d share them here!
Mixed Media Workshop Now Open
New mixed media workshop for February! Join Carrie Moore and Ruth Armitage for a joint workshop combining colorful acrylic painting and dimensional paper clay.
Art Is Exploring
I’ve just come up for air after teaching 4 3-day workshops in the last month. One thing I’ve learned by repeating some of the same lessons to different groups is that the students who let go of certainty were more successful and more creative.
Where Have You Been?
Where Have You Been? I’d like to know: where have you been? As I’m planning my workshop in the Dordogne Valley next June, I’m thinking of extending my trip before or after to a nearby country or two. While I’ve spent time in Paris and loved every minute of it, I’d...
