Notes and Pictures from my May 29 - June 2, 2026 painting adventure in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.

There are SO many silly myths telling artists to avoid using black pigment. I think this is nonsense. Ivory Black has a very important place on my palette. Here’s how I like to use it.

Farm girl illustrates poster for a local farmer-forward food event.

A dream gig.

The craftsman wood worker who makes gorgeous frames for my paintings.

Simple, classic frames, made locally by hand.

Whether it's been 5 days, 5 months or 5 years, sometimes it can be hard to get yourself back into the studio and painting. I hear this more than anything from artists - agony about the fact they aren't painting enough. In fact, I feel this myself regularly and this is what I do:

A little advice…

Let’s talk about palette thumbholes. Why are they there? Do you need them?

I LOVE wooden palettes. Here’s how you prep a new wooden palette for many years of use.

An organized palette will make your life SO much easier. Learn the DO’s and DON’T’s of setting up your painting palette.

Choosing an easel can be tricky! Here are a few factors to consider when choosing an easel that that will work for you.

Many artists get frustrated when mixing colors - a lot of artists talk about “making mud” and so shy away from earth-based pigments, preferring instead to seek out modern pigments with higher and higher chroma. (High chroma is fun - but it’s not the only way to create exciting color!) But if you mix your colors cleanly and carefully manage value, a broad world of color opens up within the earth pigment range.