Hail Mary, Full of Grace

“Hail Mary,” 22 x 30″, Acrylic on Canvas Growing up Catholic, we were taught to honor Mary as the Mother of God through reciting the prayers of the Rosary. Like prayer-bead traditions from other religious practices, the Rosary is designed to slow you down and...

The Joy of Imperfection

Making art can be a lot of fun, but it’s not always easy. At times it can be down-right torturous. My perfectionist mindset kicks in, saying, “You should be able to command divine inspiration at will… You have to make a great piece of art now…  Maybe you’re not as...

The Spirit is a Movin’

Oh, woe is me, woe is me…no one can possibly understand my pain and suffering! Well, yes, actually they can, and they probably have. In a spiritual realm, we are all connected. Pain or joy in any one of us has an effect in the paint or joy of all of us. If you’ve ever...

A little work in progress

Summer break is two weeks shorter for us this year since our daughter will enter a school that begins earlier. I’ve been taking care of school supplies, uniforms and, on top of it all, cleaning out my home for a block rummage sale. I bet I’m not the only one out there...

Understanding Freedom through Art

  What does it mean to be free? It’s such an abstract concept for someone who has always been relatively free. I mean, it sounds simple enough to understand, but how do we really appreciate freedom unless we’ve experienced the opposite? If you’re an...

Colorful Cauliflower: A Live Painting Demo

I’ve been learning a little bit about iMovie and editing video from Canadian photographer Vivienne McMaster. My first attempt is this edited version of a demo I did in March of 2011 for the Los Altos Art Club. It needs some better music, but I’ll let that...

Are you strong enough to be a dad?

“Reach for the Stars”, acrylic on wood panel (original Sold) The vocation of being a dad is not for the faint of heart. I am a daughter, one of three sisters. I also have a daughter and mostly girl cousins. Almost every living being in our family, except my...