Yellow has a long and complex history. It has been the color of everything from optimism and spontaneity to duplicity and envy. Yellow was both the established color of Judas Iscariot throughout the Western Middle Ages, as well the color of the heavens, creating the golden other-worldly elements of Byzantine Art. Throughout China, yellow was the color of glory, wisdom, and the Emperor. Yellow, right behind black and red, is one of the oldest pigments. Today we will be coverin

Known as a Precisionist, O'Keeffe's attention to detail, crips lines, and perspective is what makes her noted among great artists in history. Although she is known primarily for her flower and skull oil paintings, what is lesser known is that O'Keeffe's subject matter is as varied as the materials that she used and that those materials were influenced by war.

Everyone knows the basic story of Van Gogh. The struggling artist who died poor and unrecognized but loyally loved by his younger brother, and who posthumously became one of the most recognizable and sought after artists of all time having created over 2,000 works in only ten years. However, what isn't always understood about how Van Gogh painted is his use of complementary colors and how complementary colors influenced his color palette choices.

I have struggled with what to say about this book. If you want a beautiful coffee table book that all of your guests will love to flip through, and that will inspire casual discussions about various artists mixed with the likes and dislikes of a particular style, then this is the book for you. (No shade thrown, it is a beautiful book and I love me a good easy-going art discussion.)

Today we will be covering the top characteristics of Red, the most commonly used red oil paints, and finally how to pick the correct red for your project.

It is safe to oil paint while pregnant as long as you are following safe painting practices. Today we are going to discuss safe painting practices, tips on keeping little hands out of your paints, and thoughts about being a "parent artist" in general (like how this game would have helped my marriage during some hard years).

Oil paints themselves are toxic, but using terps or even odorless spirits, such as gamsol, ups that toxicity. Eliminating as many toxic elements as possible from your painting space is not only healthier for yourself, but also the environment. Today we are going to talk about why, how, and what to expect when we clean our brushes with oil.

Talking to the artist (be that person a visual, writing, or performing artist) in your life can be hard. Here I cover some ideas about what not to and what to talk about (this is long, apparently I have thoughts).

Read on to understand how the four elements of shadow and light is essential to creating three diminutional paintings.

Have you ever noticed that when walking down any craft store brush aisle, the brushes are usually labeled: Beginner, Level 1; Student, Level 2; Professional, Level 3? I am not sure who came up with this marketing ploy, but it was a very clever way to get a lot of people to waste a lot of money on really terrible brushes. Today we will be going over why we should be skipping to the top of the brush ladder, which brush brands I recommend, how to purchase your first set of brush

Read about my pet portrait painting process and how the color Red Transparent Earth can take your own animal paintings to the next level.

Because there is one thing that all artist have in common and that is Art Making Anxiety.

Oil paints come with three levels of transparency: opaque, semi-transparent, and transparent. All three have their uses and can aid an artist in their art making. You can read more about how here. Before I get too far into why some oil pigments lend themselves to opaque paints while others are transparent, I must first take you back to last Christmas. Sometime last year I informed my husband I that I wanted the book The Artist's Palette, by Alexandra Loske. True or false, doe

This painting has given me some grief. I have been painting it now for months...slowly, very, very slowly. Some times I would look at it and think, "Yeah, this works," but then other days I would hate the world.

What colors to purchase after your first oil paints, can be overwhelming. Read on to see what colors I recommend you purchase next.

Walking into an art store and staring at the rows upon rows of oil colors can be either very exciting (if you are like me and want all of them), or very overwhelming (if you are also like me and you just want a green that will do what you want it to do but you don't know which one is the right one). Here I will go over how to mix the perfect color every time, how to purchase the correct color every time, and how to purchase a new secondary or tertiary color mix. How to Mix t

Happily, figuring out what type of brush is your kind of brush is a lot easier than figuring out what type of medium is best suited to you. Today I want to give a quick break down of the most common brushes, different types of bristles, and why I think everyone should go synthetic. My next post will cover brush brands and which brushes I think a beginner should start with. Brush Types Round: pointed tip, long and closely arranged bristles. Good for details. Flat: flat, long

I once watched a video where an art professor put oil paint on her salad and then ate said salad in order to prove that oil paints are non-toxic... Except, she was wrong and oil paints are totally toxic. Have they become less toxic as paint technology advances? Yes, they have, but that doesn't mean we should be eating them. Here I will be going over first, why not to eat your oil paints outside of them being toxic or not, and then the three main reasons why oil paints are tox

While I am a solvent-free artist, it is not everyone's jam. Here are some tips for keeping your solvent odors and harmful vapors to a minimum in your painting space. Fresh air, ventilation, and circulation are key to keeping vapors minimized. Keep doors open or even better a window. Do not sleep in your studio. When not in use, make sure all of your solvent's lids are tightly closed. Do not use solvents to clean your hands of paint. Instead of keeping your solvents open duri

This year has been a good gallery showing year for me. I have been in three different shows, but one of those shows was my elusive golden...