Artist Ruth / Art Is Truth
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
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
Art Term Thursday: Meraki
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
Mixed Media Workshop Now Open
Art Is Exploring
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...
Nefelibata: Cloudwalker
The word Nefelibata has drawn my attention recently. The word originates in Portugese, derived from 'nephele' (cloud) and 'batha' (a place to walk.) It refers to one who lives in their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not abide by the precepts of society,...
Colors of France – A Dream Come True
How does a painter capture the colors of France? 13 lucky artists will have a chance to find out when they travel with me next June to the Dordogne and Lot Valley and Domaine du Haut Baran. It will be a dream come true- painting the colors of France together! When?...
Top 12 Titles for Creatives
My Top 12 Titles for Creatives - Thought Provoking work on Creativity I find myself sharing many of the gems of wisdom found within these books with students, and thought that having a reading list resource for creatives would be a good addition to my blog. I hope you...
Painting and Golf – 3 Similarities – New Workshop Announcements
In last week's plein air workshop I kept thinking about the similarities between Painting and Golf. I like to make analogies when I teach, to help students keep perspective on the creative process. By comparing painting to other activities like music or golf, the...
12 Binge-Worthy Summer Art Films
It's so easy these days to access top-quality Art Films, and summer is the perfect time to sit back and relax. You'll beat the heat and absorb inspiration and information at the same time! I've started a good list with these titles, but please be sure to add your own...
Pareidolia in Abstract Art
Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus, usually an image or a sound, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists. Classic examples might be seeing a face in the full moon, or imagining that cloud shapes represent a...
