Thoughts From Marsha

Yesterday I had a "play date" with a friend of mine, Jayne Bachman. We did collage, not painting. But when I do something creative that is based on a landscape, it feels like a painting to me. Collage is outside my comfort zone, but it makes me think in larger chunks of value and color. Jayne is extremely good at this.   I carried a container of panels and different kinds of supplies, including a new set of ink pens with brush tips. I was not sure if I would do collage or sketching, or a combination of both. I have been playing [...]

What is your biggest fear when you enter your studio to paint, or when you stop at a location to paint plein air?  Most of the time our fear is not wanting to fail when we start a new painting.So let's ask why! Most of us are trying to create a finished painting suitable for framing, right? I tell myself, and my students, let's call it a study and don't call it a painting! Take some of the pressure off.What might be a possible answer to these problems? I believe play might be! Playing allows you to be a little fearless. [...]