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 […]
Energy and persistence conquer all things. – Benjamin Franklin He was a very clever man, that Ben Franklin, as we know. Also brilliant, lustful, charming and cultured. Another one of his sayings that I admire (and lament not being able to actuate) is the good old: early to bed and early to rise, […]
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 […]
If you are alive, you are a creative person! -Elizabeth Gilbert. Let your muse come out and play! -Liza Myers One of my favorite classes to teach is called Elementary Arts for Art Phobic Adults! It’s really fun for me because I get to help a group of adults play with art materials and in […]
I was so pleased to be able to meet Natalie Featherston last Friday at her opening at Meyer East Gallery on famed Canyon Road in Santa Fe. I have admired her work for years for its quirky, joyful celebration of different realms of art: innocent childish art and sophisticated professional work. Her trompe-l’oeil style is […]
Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone. -Robert Allen. Standing in a public place working on my paintings all day? Making decisions, trying them out, then trying something different? With everyone watching??? (gulp!!!) Art is a conversation. I make a mark, the painting responds. I hear my muse telling me the next step. […]