FINI! This handsome young man (with his grampa's hat) is just as sweet in person as he is in my drawing. Actually -- sweeter.😊 (Graphite & ink on 9x12 70lb paper).
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#portraitartist #oregonartist #pencilportrait #proudgrandparents

My grandson Noah showed me his drawing of the Mona Lisa. I said it was similar to drawings by Henri Matisse (1889-1954), and I showed him samples on my cellphone. He saw Matisse's drawings, lifted his chin, and said, "Mine is better," then walked back to his room.
#childrenart #childartist #Matisse

Beware the "modern bodysnatchers," this #outdoorsy PNW nature writer warns us. And I completely agree.
www.mountaineers.org/blog/invasio...
#naturelove #toomuchtech #relaxation

Getting ready for some FUN!
* * * * *
#TeachingArt #ArtinSchool #ArtEducation

On the shore this morning, a couple dropped their bags, stripped to their swim trunks and one-piece, ran into the surf, immersed in the sea, their smiling faces bouncing above the foam. We watched them as we walked back to our hotel, cloaked in shirts, sweaters, jackets, gloves, boots and beanies.🙂

AI creates images -- NOT art. There's a difference. Art assumes purpose -- creative INTENT. AI merely responds to prompts according to programming. No intent whatsoever. It's ARTIFICIAL art. You cannot claim you "created" something that you did not create.
#AIart #HUMANart #supportHUMANart

And you STILL have time to take back your new clothes for the next size UP! 😊

Art and nature are inseparable. We are ALL students of the Master Artist.

It also makes it harder for them to ban books.

For artists who love getting lost in their work, miniatures offer the luxury of being immersed in the details without spending weeks (or months) on a single piece. It’s just fun!🎨
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#miniatureart #acrylicpainting #oregonartist #landscapepainting

We wish all our friends and family a comforting Christmas, and may this new year be one of peace and love for you and your families.

The Oregon Cascades looking across the Columbia from the fairgrounds in #StevensonWA. A rainy place (where I grew up), but a gorgeous green in the sunshine.
#ColumbiaRiverGorge

This was one of the most fun paintings I've done the last few months. I've wanted to create an elk since we got up close with one in #Yellowstone a few years ago. They are MASSIVE regal creatures.
*****
#wildlifeart #OregonArtist

Today's the big day. Selling creative treasures at the art & craft fair in #KeizerOregon. It's one of those few times creative people can gather in one place to see what we're all making. Then we all leave inspired to create even MORE.

“If you hear a voice within you say, 'You cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
(Vincent Van Gogh)
*****
#creativity #artheals #VanGogh

Just cancelled my X #twitter acct. I grew weary of futilely trying to clear my screen of unwanted material. Not all of us thrive on trending conflicts. Even if you aren't #doomscrolling, the headlines find you.
Keep #bluesky customizable.
#headlinestress www.apa.org/monitor/2022...

"create more than you consume: Bc instead of receiving information from outside like TV, social media, & anything that doesn’t engage your own abilities to bring out the best of you, your goal should be to generate value for everyone you interact with."
Maria Brito, art advisor/author (4/15/21)

Works of beauty “are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.”
C. S. Lewis (The Weight of Glory, 1949)