Weekly Message August 1, 2026 Good morning Reader, and "hello" August! Small art journals make me happy - how about you? They allow us to work small, quickly, and can be the substrate for beautiful art pages. This week I am not sharing a video - it's just been too hot to film in the studio, so instead, I thought it might be fun to show you what I doodled in one of my small art journals, and how I did it, right here in this email. The art journal . . This art journal here is a 5" × 5"...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Weekly Message March 1, 2025 Hi Reader! You know those days when you sit down to create, and… nothing happens? Your hands are ready, your supplies are waiting, but your mind? A total blank. The ideas that usually flow so easily feel stuck behind an invisible wall. It's frustrating, isn't it? That feeling of wanting to create, of knowing you should create, but feeling like you just… can't. Maybe you start scrolling for inspiration, or maybe you walk away entirely, telling yourself you'll try...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Painted Paper Studio March 23, 2024 Hello Reader, I spent the week entirely reworking and re-filming a video on creating transparent mark-making papers. Sexy, right? I had an idea about finishing touches and elevating your art that I wanted to share with you, but the idea got lost in the effort, so I started over. Twenty-five years ago, I had a business creating custom finishes for furniture and cabinetry—I loved that work! I learned that creating a gorgeous finish was not about painting a...
over 2 years ago • 2 min read
Painted Paper Studio February 18, 2024 I'm not going to lie, Reader, this week's video was exciting to make, but it was last minute, I mean really last minute - and the editing had me stressed (it always does). But... I was so late filming and editing this week's video because I was distracted - in the best way. It started as a kernel of an idea, blew up to gigantic proportions, and then settled on a solid idea for creating a workshop that (I think) you would L.O.V.E. I am still working out...
over 2 years ago • 2 min read
Painted Paper Studio February 5, 2023 Hi Reader! Over the last few months, several of you have written, asking how I schedule or structure my studio time (none of you used the word structure, but it's what fits best here 😀). So here's the very, very short version and the more extended version is below. Please do me a favor; after you've read, please reply and tell me what a "studio" day is like for you. A Day in My Studio Very Short Version Drink coffee Internet exploration Do my...
over 2 years ago • 3 min read
Painted Paper Studio January 12, 2024 Ever find yourself going down a strange internet rabbit hole, only to stumble across something you can never "un-see?" Last Sunday, I spent the day in bed - a cross between severe jet lag and a bad cold. While scrolling the interwebs, I ran across the following quote, and I've been thinking about its relevance ever since. “ No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man. — Heraclitus After considering...
over 2 years ago • 2 min read