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In the 1940 film "Rebecca", the character played by Joan Fontaine (no relation), explains to Maxim de Winter, played by Laurence Olivier that her dear, late father was a painter. He painted trees; "at least it was one tree". The unnamed artist's theory was that if you should find one perfect thing or place you should, "Stick to it". If you read last month's blog, you know that for me, a perfect tree is a willow. I am challenged to capture in paint the emotion they evoke in my heart. One group of trees that I return to, time and...

A group of us were sitting on the grass in the shade of a maple tree, when the question came up, as it does with kids, "If you could be a tree, what kind of tree would you be?" Although we were only about 10 years old, there was already a girl who was the "popular" one; she chose the Mighty Oak, with the reasoning that as a Leo, a strong tree suited her personality. Another girl, brought up in a home surrounded with reminders of her Scottish heritage, chose the Canadian Maple, honouring her ancestors who had settled much...

The reaction has to be exactly that; you have to skip like a stone on a calm lake. Whenever the artist in you has the potential to be rattled, you have to land, pivot and skip in a new direction. The "season" has begun and the little stack of paintings to be submitted to galleries gets smaller as each fee is paid. As I write this, I've received my first DECLINED of the year. It's early. It's...UGH. The rules for submitting to adjudicated shows varies with each gallery, but the usual rules mean that the painting has to be relatively...

When you answer a question right off the top of your head, that's the true one; from your heart. When asked about the book in my life that changed me profoundly, my answer was, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde (1890) Spoiler Alert: Dorian Gray sells his soul in order to have eternal youth. A portrait painted of him begins to alter, illustrating each cruel word, every debauched encounter. The portrait ends up locked behind study doors at the top of the house, lest anyone discover his secret. A cautionary tale for a pre-teen, I can assure you!...

There are books and blogs, videos and films, all dealing with the subject, "How to Make a Living as an Artist". After many years of research and copious pages of notes, my game plan may not look like ones adopted by other artists, but that's fine. I made the decision to keep my art affordable long before I had a website. The first pieces of art I bought were when I was a teenager; I am grateful to the artists that opened the world of art to me at a reasonable price. Recently though, an artist offered advice about how...