FAQ

Do you have online tutorials?
Yes! They are called ArtBytes and you can find them in my ArtByte Store. These are bite-size lessons that you can read/watch as many times as you want. Many include videos - all include text, images and links. One is about my materials.

How can I see what work is available? 
Click here to see everything I have available right now.

Do you sell books?
Yes, I currently have 4 small books, and one instructional book available through Amazon: Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive and Successful Artist.

Do you sell tshirts, aprons, mugs, etc.?
Yes! Please visit my Cafe Press store to see what's available. (all at cost)

Do you take commissions?
No. Sorry.

Do you frame your small paintings?
I sell them unframed. That said, I can recommend a few online framers that are very good (from least to most expensive):
www.webpictureframes.com - Web Picture Frames (floating frames for panels)
www.frankenframes.com - Franken Frames
www.kingofframe.com - King of Frame 
www.metroframe.com - Metro Frame
For my paintings, I like the floating frames specifically for panels.

What medium do you use?
I mix my own: 2 parts linseed oil | 1 part stand oil | 1 part Gamsol (mineral spirits)
When I travel I use Gamblin Solvent-Free Gel
When I plein air I also use Gamblin Galkyd Gel

What is your palette?
(Gamblin brand) titanium white, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red medium, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, 1980 phthalo blue, and burnt umber - I sometimes add to this: cadmium yellow lemon and permanent rose.

What brushes do you use?
My favorite brushes are Silver Bristlon brights. They are synthetic & have a nice crisp edge. I mostly use sizes 4, 6, 8 and 10. I also use a size 2 filbert for drawing.

What panels do you use?
I currently use gessobord from Ampersand (purchased from Dick Blick), but I used Raymar's smooth cotton canvas panels for a long time and really liked them. I switched because I paint rather thin and I felt the texture of the canvas was competing with the texture of my brush strokes.

Do you varnish your paintings?
Yes, I use Gamvar picture varnish, glossy, which I apply when the paint is dry.

How do you ship your paintings? 
I use archival bags from Clear Bags. I insure each painting and ship it in a Priority Mail box that generally takes 2-3 days to reach the buyer (domestic), and 7-10 days (international). Full tutorial.

Do you give workshops?
I taught workshops for 12 years, and "retired" in 2019. : )

How long does it generally take you to finish one of these small paintings? 
It took me 20 years to get to the point where I can paint one small painting in 1 to 4 hours. That is my official answer. : )

How do you photograph your paintings?
I go outside with my (automatic digital) camera & art. I find a spot in open shade and prop my painting up with something so it doesn’t fall/blow over, and nothing is in front of it. I make sure my painting is not facing any light source (the sky, or even a window that is reflecting the sky). I sit down and rest my elbows on my knees to steady my camera. Then I zoom in a little since my camera is defaulted to wide-angle (most are). I square the painting in my LCD panel, hold my breath, and take a picture. I take several just to be safe. I open my picture in Photoshop (or Picasa – free from google). I crop it, change the image size (to about 1000 pixels per side) and use Image>Levels to make values “right”. I adjust colors if they need adjusting. Finally, I save (for web) as a .jpg (no less than 70%). For WAY more info see my ArtByte on photographing and editing small paintings.

How long does it take each day to post a painting?
It takes me about 15 minutes, from photographing, blogging, listing in auction, and posting to social media. Sometimes it takes a little longer as I agonize over what to write about my painting. : )

What kind of setup do you use for plein air painting?
I use an Art Box from Art Box & Panel Co. I prefer the smallest size (mini).

Do you ever do demos?
Yes. I have a few free ones, and several (so far) in ArtBytes with a voice over that you can buy for $10/ea.

Where/how did you learn to paint?
I went to the University of Texas at Austin but learned nothing there other than what I taught myself. My professors were only interested in developing the concept behind the painting, rather than teaching us the basics of design, composition, etc. I want to make a living doing what I love most - painting! I learned by poring over art magazines and books, studying and copying work that struck me, and experimenting a lot. Painting (just about) every day is the best thing I do towards improving!

What does your shadowbox look like?
It is a really cool box invented/built by my husband. It is constructed of pvc pipe and plywood, is lightweight and mounted on a heavy duty tripod so I can raise and lower it to get just about any angle on my still life. You will find instructions and pictures in my free Shadowbox ArtByte.

Do you plan to release a DVD or instructional book?
I wrote an instructional book for Random House. It's called Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often to Become a More Creative, Productive and Successful Artist, and you can order it on Amazon. : ) I don't have plans for DVD's at this time.