What feels harder than making art?

One of the hardest things in my life I have ever done was become an artist. Like so many people, I had serious doubts. I saw my life hadn’t been one of any particular struggle. I believed great art had to come out of monumental struggle. A place of deep anguish....

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Wake up by letting go.

Art awakens us. It can be the meeting place where things come together that are exquisitely different from one another. I remember seeing Christo and Jean Claude’s Running Fence as a boy; that thin calligraphic line of white fabric that ran across the windswept,...

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How to Stop Avoiding Your Art Practice

We all procrastinate. Some days it feels harder to find the time to make your art. I know this is the case for me. Here is a little way I have found to overcome this problem. It just might help you too. Let me know if this rings true - or not true at all - for your...

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Finding the Value of your Art

There is this really cool shop in Portland that I accidentally wandered into last week. At first blush it just looks like a metal junk shop but peering in the window as I went past, I realized that this just wasn’t any old junk shop. This shop was only selling old...

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A New Beginning

Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to start 2017 off by talking a little bit about how I sign my work. Do you sign your work, and if so, how?

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The Best Gift for an Artist

Just wanted to share some thoughts on being grateful and appreciating where you are and where you're going.Be sure to check out Mitchell Johnson's work at www.mitchelljohnson.com/. This took me a bit to learn, but I'm glad I did. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Why it Pays to be Bold, Early

Beginning a painting of any kind of artistic expression is always hard. It is like that blank page when nothing has been written yet. The emptiness can be intimidating. It scares me sometimes. Personally, I would prefer to begin with something that has already been...

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Out On The Edges

I've been painting a lot on canvas and noticed that some of the most interesting parts occur on the edges, where I'm working with less control. Taking my hand out of the process and letting the materials be themselves brings in a sense of play and is so refreshing.

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How To Always Be Creative.

Would you like to be creative whenever you want? I would. Is it possible? What are the optimal conditions for creativity? If we knew, it would make the whole affair of making art so much easier. Sometimes I feel creative and sometimes not. Often, instead of making...

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