On June 8th, celebrity chef, writer and television personality, Anthony Bourdain took his own life just a couple of weeks before what would have been his 62 birthday. While the creative embers of this man will leave a lasting glow, the fire has been put out. Sadly self-inflicted. Why? is all we can ask ourselves.

Artists rely on all sorts of references to inspire and conceptualize their ideas. Even plein air artists should keep a log of places which may give them a pleasing result. But then past a sketchbook, the oh mighty photograph becomes king.

Wandering through a Taos art gallery you start dreaming of a future with more creativity in it. Maybe you could finally paint a portrait of your loved one or learn to play a Spanish guitar - but between utility bills and car insurance, there doesn’t seem to be money for artistic adventures. Actually, most of the time, there is.

I’m confused, or maybe I’m actually not.  Hum, better yet, let me start this article with a scenario. You are an artist, a working artist. One who diligently enters shows and places your art in or at all sorts of places trying to gain any exposure you can.

Mr. and Mrs. Chickadee are upset at my chosen spot to chat with you. While we were away, they started their nest behind the wreath on the front door.

After fine-tuning your work, marketing yourself fantastically, crafting the perfect artist CV and making the right connections, you’re excited to find out you will be represented in a great art gallery. Congratulations! You can sit back, bask in the glory and relax awhile. WRONG!

When I began my second life as a full-time artist, I knew at some point I wanted to sell my work in art galleries. I had always created art on the side, while teaching, and even sold a few over the years.

“As the crow flies” in Clark County, Ohio is a hot humid ride over miles of cornfields, interspersed with soybeans and a few little towns. Not much goes on here.

Artist Elaine Weiner-Reed reflects that she is always pleasantly surprised when someone contacts her to let her know that she, her words, or her art has touched their lives. Such contacts are always welcome, no matter how rarely or frequently they might come her way . . .     Continue reading to find out how one seemingly small art experience led to Elaine’s inclusion in a global library of sketchbooks.

I have always been drawn to works of art with great visual and tactile texture; the kind of work that beckons to be touched, calls for my fingers to glide across the canvas feeling all the little bumps and ridges of the surface.

This is a story about thinking outside of the box. Sometimes the best way to think outside of the box is to know how you ended up there in the first place.

How often does a visit to museum or art show inspire us to greater heights of creativity? It sometimes happens as we wander among the works of great artists, some pieces making us stop…in awe.

Improvement. This one word is so true of creative longevity.  Honestly, it may be the key to longevity period.  You know you pretty well.

As I write this, it is a chilly rainy evening in Zundert, Netherlands and 43 degrees, although I’m sure it feels much colder. One can imagine the weather may have been similar as Anna Van Gogh prepared for the arrival of her second son to be named Vincent, only one short year after enduring the still birth of her first son bearing the same name.

If you don’t know the answer to this and many other questions, (in regard to your art) it’s time to figure it out.  Are you trying to ignite a discussion, depict mores in today’s world, show reality in its raw beauty or shameful ugliness, make people smile, or reflect?

Sheila Ralph’s quest began in a setting rivaling Lord of the Rings. Misty, sharp-edged mountains soared five thousand feet above the icy fjord. At their base, on a narrow strip of flatland rimmed by water, perched the tiny hamlet of Skagway, Alaska.