This is why I teach. I’m recently back from my Wyoming Ranch equine workshop. It’s not an easy workshop to organize. I have to pack up my entire studio and drive 14 hours to get from St. Paul, MN to Wolf, WY. But as I cross from South Dakota to Wyoming my energy begins to… Read More »Wyoming Ranch Workshop
I got a chance to see another workshop instructor’s handout on workshop etiquette and quite frankly was flabbergasted. I can only imagine that the intent was to make participants mindful of saying and doing things the instructor felt may cause problems. Seriously I hope she is a better painter than presenter of ideas. Every paragraph… Read More »Workshop Etiquette
The Power of Insta. I like to control things. Maybe a little too much. And I’m not a huge fan of turning everything over to any of the social media platform. I think you absolutely should have your own web page and a mailing list that belongs to you that you consistently communicate with. The… Read More »Instagram For Artists
Recently I did one of my favorite things–ordering art materials. It’s like Christmas all over again when a box of art materials arrives at the front door. This time I decided to go beyond my normal color palette (of black + white) and order an array of colors. For a second, my heart dropped a… Read More »How to Repair Broken Pan Pastels
Selecting the right tissue paper. As time goes by and the more photo encaustic images I see I’m convinced how truly unique work created with tissue paper is. It’s just magical. And so, so confusing. The first time I worked with tissue paper it was just in passing. Over the years there has been a… Read More »Paper Selection for tissue paper prints
Let’s talk about a little business. Being entrepreneurial as an artist is important if you want to sell your work. Email marketing is one of the most profitable marketing strategies for any business – and yet most creatives do it wrong, if at all. You absolutely can’t just rely on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or another… Read More »Artwork Database
Yes, you should have one. I love working with tissue paper images because I get to create a different background allowing me to create an image that seems timeless. But I’ve heard the despair in student’s voices as they proclaim, ‘I’m not an artist and have no idea how to create a background’. Your background… Read More »Making Your Texture Library
Let’s talk about Pricing. How many times have you asked, ‘how do I price my artwork’? It’s one of the hardest aspects of any business, let alone an art business, where you are putting a dollar value on your artistic voice and personal vision. Naturally you start asking around. You ask your friends and family… Read More »#1 Pricing Mistake
Surrendering to the Process. I recently asked hundreds of artists, what is the best advice you’d give an artist just starting with encaustics. I received loads of amazing tips and advice and noticed there was a predominant theme around surrendering to the process…..ranging from enjoying the process, to letting go, being patient, and not overthinking.… Read More »Surrender
Can I just blow off a little steam? I’m really tired of hearing the downright bad information out there in regard to encaustics and photo encaustics in particular. Normally I get really excited when students tell me what a wonderful teacher I am, but this one got me going. “I just attended a weekend workshop… Read More »Learn how to ‘think’ about photo encaustics