Jessie

Getting to Know New Paints

This week I received my first paints from Greenleaf & Blueberry, an amazing duo that handcrafts their own line of watercolors right here in Colorado. This is only my second brand of paints I’ve purchased (my first being a set from Sennelier) and playing around with my three new paints from G&B showed me howContinue reading “Getting to Know New Paints”

Must Read: Art and Fear

THIS BOOK, y’all. Read immediately if: You have ever been in your feelings about your art. You ever questioned whether what you are making is art. You have struggled with finding your artistic voice. You believe that you should be the next Mozart (spoiler alert: You won’t be but you can still make dope work!) YourContinue reading “Must Read: Art and Fear”

CRAYONS

I’m in New Jersey this week visiting my fabulous friend Nicki and her family. Since both her boys are youngsters, crayons have reigned supreme in my creative life since arriving. I hadn’t dabbled with crayons since I was a kid, but I quickly appreciated the utter lack of seriousness of the medium. They cost nextContinue reading “CRAYONS”

Painting with Instructions

This past weekend I went to Pinot’s Palette. It is a chill way to spend an evening and you leave with a painting and the knowledge that you have created . . . something. I have gone several times to various iterations of Pinot’s Palette and have always enjoyed myself. However, I have had aContinue reading “Painting with Instructions”

The World Through Watercolor Lenses

Since taking up watercolor, I’ve begun to see the world with fresh eyes. Textures, light, shapes, colors: they stand out in places where before I was blind. This always happens whenever I begin to explore some fresh ideology or creative endeavor. The world unfolds new possibilities and marvels with the expansion of my own self.Continue reading “The World Through Watercolor Lenses”

Edges

In his book Making it New, Henry Geldzahler (a big deal), echoing John Szarkowski (another big deal), states that, “The edge is the controlling aesthetic factor [in photography].” Here are three pictures of the same thing but with different edges. This first picture most represents what I wanted to take a picture of in thatContinue reading “Edges”

Sketchbook Update: September

If you’re new to the site, allow me to explain: I’m learning to draw. These last two months I’ve made an effort to sketch daily, and while some days (ok, even a week here and there) I’ve failed at that commitment, I have been steadily drawing throughout these last two months (you can find my AugustContinue reading “Sketchbook Update: September”

Join October’s Community Art Project!

Eager for an opportunity to create?! Well, here’s a golden opportunity! Send us anything you create based on the theme below and on November 3rd we’ll post the artwork we receive! The Theme: Under Water (view this more as a springboard, not a destination) What You Need: Creativity What You DON’T Need: A certain skill levelContinue reading “Join October’s Community Art Project!”

Make the Time Or Make Nothing At All

Life this week has been unusually busy. Normally, I have a good amount of time with which I can do whatever I want, follow my fancy wherever it leads, but not this week. And the first thing I sacrificed in the face of this busyness was developing my drawing. I hardly sketched at all, simplyContinue reading “Make the Time Or Make Nothing At All”

Getting out of the Funk by Looking Around

A couple weeks ago, I reflected on my creativity-less funk and created ACTION STEPS. One of my action steps was to use my phone to take pictures everyday. I am pleased to report that I have followed through on that! My phone pictures are mostly taken on my walks throughout the day (Shoutout to myContinue reading “Getting out of the Funk by Looking Around”