Never Apologize for Your Art (Part 1) Here’s Why… Never apologize for your art. My sister gave me a button years ago that said that and it’s stayed with me over the years (the thought as well as the button). But I realize that this can fall into two basic categories. One is for artists […]
Commissioned Art (Repost) A Refresher on the Topic For me, commissioned art is a big part of the holiday seasons. I work hard to fulfill holiday gift ideas that people have for their loved ones. Some of you might want to do something similar for someone on your gift list, but hesitate to do so […]
Holiday Season It’s Upon Us Once Again ‘Tis the season!’ as they say. The holiday season is upon us once more. Yes, I know it’s still 90+ degrees in sunny Southern California, but Labor Day has come and gone and now it’s pumpkin spice everything, everywhere you look. Fall decorations are out and some stores […]
At Odds With Myself When Creativity Takes Me Out of My Comfort Zone Being at odds with myself is a strange and rather uncomfortable mix of emotions and even physical feelings. But I never feel it as acutely as when the creative itch pushes me to do things that I normally wouldn’t do. As you […]
Journaling Sketchbooks Anja Uhren Last week I mentioned about how journaling sketchbooks were something that intrigued me and how it was something that would eventually take me outside of my comfort zone and into public places. One of the artists that has brought this to the forefront of my attention yet again, is Anja Uhren. […]
Channeling My Subjects I’m Starting to Think Maybe I Do… I’ve often been asked if I’m channeling my subjects when I’m working on a portrait because it seems that I manage to capture a bit of their souls. I never really thought about it and often, the question amused me. I never did take it […]
Stefan G Bucher Monster a Day As part of the Artists That Inspire segment, I would love to talk about artist Stefan G Bucher. Stefan’s been around for a good long while. He’s a graphic designer and illustrator. If you’ve never heard of him or seen his work, now’s your chance! Actually, chances are that […]
Open Call Questions, Requests, Topics of Interest To my recollection, I don’t think I’ve ever done an open call with this blog. In all this time I’ve been chatting about topics that pique my interest or things that I’m wrapped up in with a variety of projects. I’m really not sure, but I don’t think […]
Artistic Setbacks Happy Accidents Artistic setbacks and mistakes. Occurrences that initially twist our guts into a knot of dread. We’ve all experienced them at one time or another. But then, the unexpected happens. Once we calm down and learn how to breathe and see straight again, we go into super serious creative analysis mode where […]
Taking My Vision For Granted Getting Older Sucks I’ll admit that until recently, I was guilty of taking my vision for granted. I’ve always had 20/20 vision so it was never something that was in the forefront of my thoughts or concerns. I’ll even admit to having gone about ten years without an eye exam. […]
Our pets become part of the family. “Keo-boy”, my siamese, was just a month shy of 20 yrs old. It was very difficult when I had to put him down. It was so hard that I even had him cremated. Myra surprised me with a picture of him, which sits in my bedroom til this day. “Babe” followed “Keo” & if you know a bit about Maine Coons you know they have long beautiful hair with striking patterns. She surprised me one Xmas with a portrait of the big boy. I can’t believe it is done with only pencil. She captured every detail perfectly. I have known Myra all her life, as I am her auntie. She has always had a knack for drawing. At 4, she even placed her artwork on my white leather chair! I have seen her develop into a fantastic artist. I will treasure my works of art forever.
- E. Naito
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