Blog
Paintings, Poppies & Priorities
loading… POPPIES for days! If you aren’t fortunate enough to live in these parts, you may be unaware of the incredible wildflower show that occurs during this time of the year in the Santa Ynez Valley. Here’s a little example of what I’m talking about. Look at all those poppies behind me and my cute…
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Do it now.
loading… This month I have taken on a few personal challenges–one of them being an art challenge that I’d like to share with you. Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of things off–especially self-care or betterment type things–until I have “more time for it.” The problem is…more time never seems to open up. My schedule always seems…
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2016 Italian Art Retreat Announcement
loading… We’re super excited to announce that we’ve teamed up with Chelsea Ward of Sketchy Notions to create an art retreat in the home of the Renaissance. Picture a week in Florence, Italy soaking up all that Tuscany has to offer while creating art in the very footsteps of the masters. BELLISSIMA ART RETREAT Art.…
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Picasso Was Right!
loading… “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso Impression III (Concert), 1911, Wassily Kandinsky Synesthesia is the rare neurological condition in which senses are entwined—it comes in a myriad of forms—smells can evoke sounds, music can evoke color, letters or shapes can…
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Brilliant Article
loading… As artists we live in fear “You might as well give up.” “You’ll never make a living as an artist.” “Being an artist is a great job if you want to starve.” These words have been ingrained in our thoughts for what seems like forever, but it wasn’t always that way. “That’s such a wonderful drawing.”…
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Some call it therapy…
loading… Well, because it kind of is. The act of creating is something we were literally MADE to do. We’re designed to create–whether that be cooking up a fabulous meal, composing a song, building something, tending a garden or painting a picture–we were born with an innate desire to create. Remember back when you were…
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Foiled Again.
loading… I mean, gorgeous, right…how could you not be at peace here? That’s what you’re thinking, right? A day away…in Cambria! Lucky. Best place in the world to quiet the noise and just BE. Well……….see what happened was…. Everything didn’t quite go as planned. Picture this: waking up to the lovely ocean breeze, enjoying a…
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Labor Day Weekend!!
loading… I mean…who doesn’t love a THREE DAY WEEKEND?! Holidays like Labor Day and the Fourth of July are some of my favorites. You know why? Because there’s just not a lot of pressure surrounding them. These holidays share most of the same benefits that Christmas and New Year’s Eve offer, without all of the…
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The Art of Self-Care
loading… “In a busy society where we are told to do more, achieve more, and be more. Often times we forget to really look at who we are and what makes us uniquely us. Self-care is the idea of slowing down and giving mindful attention to what you need. Everyone has different needs and nobody…
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Sketching, Crawling, Painting, Sipping.
loading… Have you ever done a pub crawl? Well, this was so much better! This past Sunday, a merry group of folks took to the streets of Los Olivos to sip Valley wines and learn watercolor and sketching. Starting at Zinke Wine Co, our guests lounged in comfy chairs and painted scenes of the Zinke…
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Change is good!
loading… It has taken me just over 47 years to be able to utter this phrase without grimacing in the “I’m saying this because I know this is what you’re supposed to say as a mature adult faced with a huge transition” way. The truth is, change IS good. It’s also packed with complication, mixed…
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Capturing Beauty
loading… What is it about this deep desire to not only observe the beauty around us, but to actually capture it? Humans are the only creatures on earth who have the ability to notice the space around them, and render an opinion of whether it is beautiful…or ugly…or menacing….or mysterious…or glorious. And, we FEEL it. Our souls,…
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