Blog

Scammers Attack Artists, Too
Oh joy! Another art scam email. This time I only responded with a "Ha-ha". I have used earthier language in the past. One time I actually asked him (or her - give the sexes equal time) if he ever got tired of scamming people and he responded “No." Should have saved the email. Email Scammers are just the latest and most sophisticated in a steady stream of those who see artists as an easy target ...
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My Memory of a Remarkable Commission
Time: Years ago. I do not even have a record of it.It is winter: Cold and dreary in Hampton, Virginia And Cindy wants me to paint a watercolor of her, outside, tending to her summer flower garden. Of course I tell her I can. I show up at her house, trusty 35mm camera in my cold hand. So how are we going to do this? We go outside where she shows me her garden. Nothing ...
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Christmas 2021
So it is finally over. Perhaps one of the weirdest holidays in memory. It is usually stressful enough but this year the merry in Merry Christmas was somewhat half-hearted. The familiar issues of vaccinated versus anti-vaxxers, disrupted travel plans, airline cancellations, supply chain issues, exhausted health caregivers and teachers, and the build up of 2 years of ongoing COVID anxiety leads me to think that to most, 2022 can't come soon enough. Anderson and Andy ...
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After the Paint Dries
The other day I spent 5 hours hanging my art at the Associates in Dermatology office for my upcoming Art Show and Sale on Nov 12. Those working artists who exhibit will understand the process involved in managing an art business. There is much to do after the paint dries. Displaying a large show, removing and storing wall art, replacing with new art, labeling, and pricing is tedious. But now I should be able to ...
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Demo Day
The other day I demonstrated my art (I call it Demo Day) at the Gallery on the Hill in Yorktown. Many people get palpitations when they think about someone watching them do their thing - be it a craft or activity. I have done it for so long that it does not phase me a bit. My only issue is that, for the first time in my career, I was at a loss as to ...
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Teaching an Older Person to Cook
We don't use the word "old" in my family. I will not share how long Luke and I have been married because you would then consider me very not cool. Not that I have ever been “cool,” mind you, but a “person of a certain age” sounds ridiculous. Mature is pretentious. I like “seasoned,“ but the visual image pretty much refers to meat or vegetables and I am not going there folks. Meat has too ...
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TV during COVID
We have been glued to the TV since the COVID-19 crisis started. To be honest, we binge watch. You do, too. Don’t lie. While I am by no means an Anglophile, I have become a huge fan of British series on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I am starting to compare them with their American counterparts, trying to figure out why the British series are so compelling and some of ours so meh. Yeah, yeah, meh ...
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So Here I am Sitting in
So here I am sitting in the hot tub with light fluffy snowflakes falling on me and my large billed hat. It’s about 9 o’clock and I am not feeling guilty about sleeping in because I have decided not to feel guilty about a lot of things. We live in the woods but there are lots of houses across the marsh. If any distant neighbors have nothing better to do than watch older people going ...
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A Long Walk with a Friend
Sometimes it takes a long walk with a friend on a cold, post-Christmas Day to talk out your thoughts and perhaps come to some conclusions about where you are going or where you might want to stop going. I was trying to figure out why I have been at a bit of an impasse in terms of my art. What I mean is that for years I have gone from one subject or approach to ...
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How I Sabotage Myself
The Coffee Was Suspect Recently I had a cup of coffee at home that wasn’t the best. I thought as I was driving to Manteo, NC that I would stop and pick up a better cup of coffee. I went through a drive-through, ordered, and because I was giving myself a break from being health-conscious, ordered an additional bagel with cream cheese. I went to eat my breakfast in their parking area and found that ...
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