Nature is the source of all true knowledge– Leonardo da Vinci Storms make trees take deeper roots. Dolly Parton I am so fortunate to have a few days in the house of a friend. It sits on a tall bluff over these waves. It has been rainy and brutally windy. Despite the house shuddering and […]
Earth is the nest, the cradle, and we’ll move out of it. – Gene Roddenberry If we don’t protect it with great haste, it will no longer be inhabitable! In the center left you can see City Hall with William pinned statue on top. Dwarfed by the skyscrapers. I’ve been in #Philadelphia building a human-sized […]
You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” – Guiseppe Verdi The birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence has been a shining beacon for me for as long as I can remember. After 410 sequential days of Italian on the free app Duolingo, it seemed about time to go to Italy. We flew first […]
Spring is the time of plans and projects. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina The bluebirds are already in Santa Fe. They arrive in a fluttering, somewhat pushy crowd, but share the perching places around the rim of the birdbath. I painted this bluebird with oils many years ago. I’ve painted many bluebirds since but this remains […]
Life is either a great adventure or nothing -Helen Keller Everything in excess is opposed to nature. Hippocrates Even though Hippocrates would have been appalled and Ms. Keller would have been unable to see the bright lights or wild color displays of the fountains and glittery signs, Las Vegas is an astonishing place. Much of […]
Color is a power which directly influences the soul. Wassily Kandinsky Color has emotion. Are you feeling blue? Did you see red? Are you green with jealousy? These metaphors are not random. Blue? Have you ever sung the blues? During Picasso’s Blue Period he painted in a very subdued palette: blues, grays, pale […]
I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match. Mia Hamm Hot wax, color and fire! Give me more of that! The jackrabbit above is an encaustic photo collage which I created in a workshop with Angel Wynn, renowned […]
REGISTER HERE! CLASS SIZE LIMITED TO NINE STUDENTS BEGINNERS AND ADVANCED STUDENTS WELCOME. Working with moist watercolor on Arches cold-pressed paper, Liza will guide you in the exploratory process of using brush and color to release the image that waits within the washes. Discover shape and form by working in […]
Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well. Mark Twain Years ago, in one of the MANY on-line and in-the-flesh workshops I took with Alyson Stanfield, she suggested that we choose a word for the year. One word that would clarify, energize and inspire whenever it was invoked. […]
Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude. – AA Milne To all of you who backed the Aartz West Kickstarter, I can’t thank you enough! What does it take to create a Kickstarter campaign? If you check out their website they have […]