Art Instruction Blog
ARTFIELDS Winning Portrait
Made my Daddy Proud The big news is that I won the ARTFIELDS portrait competition on May 3, 2014, from a field of 23 very talented and creative artists. It was pretty exciting. But whatever the outcome, it was an awesome opportunity to turn people on to the art of...
Passion, Vision and Goals
Being an Artist It's absurd to expect yourself to be passionate about your art without knowing why you're doing it. It's the vision, not the idea of passion that inspires us. I write (paint, sing, act, dance, etc.) not to be a writer; I write because I have...
Charleston Living – A Softer Touch
A Softer Touch Here is a readable .pdf of the recent article in Charleston Living, beautifully written by fellow art spirit, Jason Zwiker. Or if you prefer, just scroll down. I hope you will read and share the message of the article, which I think describes our...
Cate Portrait is Finished
Cate and Friends This portrait of my darling Cate depicts a world where all is well and all is one. Aside from completely repainting the face from the previous version, I have added 14 creatures to the painting, not including the Holy Spirit, seen in the upper right....
Our Culture of Exceptionalism
I often wonder why I speak out, why I paint, why I write, sometimes, why I even bother waking up in the morning. It seems at times that nobody cares. I realize my blogs often disappear into the ether, sometimes completely unread, that what I'm burning to say means...
Fear and Bravery for the artist
Many people believe the following statement: "Real freedom is the absence of fear." I respectfully disagree. I tell my kids that fear is only step one. Step two is bravery. An absence of fear is probably not practical or even possible. Denial is rarely effective....
What is the Fair Market Value of Art?
How Do You Put a Value on Art? "Don't blame the marketing department. The buck stops with the chief executive." John D. Rockefeller I recently blogged about the valuation of art. Many find the commodification of one's creative output problematic. How can you put a...
Perception is Everything
Low-balling Art Is a Flop I've been running a little marketing experiment lately. I've been offering recent demo paintings for a much lower price than one might expect to pay at an art fair or even a framed print in a frame shop. Very often, these demo paintings...
Babies, Charcoal and Conte
Baby Portraits in Charcoal and Conte My dear friend Jason Zwiker asked me to create a couple charcoals sketches from photographs he had. I decided to go with the toned paper, with conte. I love the look of these drawings and am hoping to have the opportunity to more...
Right vs Left Brain Are One Brain
Who really knows their Right from their Left? The traditional Right vs Left brain conversation is not giving us the complete picture. New findings suggest that people are not necessarily more functional on one hemisphere of their brain over the other. I have done...


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What is existence? Are we really spiritual beings, made in God's image? #existence #charlestonsc #painting #artcollector ... See MoreSee Less
This dramatic, colorful, painterly, expressive self-portrait is an example of what I can do for you. ... See MoreSee Less
Thanks Robbin.
As Americans marked Presidents’ Day — a holiday traditionally reserved for honoring the nation’s leaders, their legacies and the arc of presidential history — Donald Trump found himself in the middle of a growing controversy over how his legacy is framed in one of the country’s most revered cultural institutions.
Trump reportedly requested that the Smithsonian Institution commission a new official presidential portrait that would encapsulate both his nonconsecutive terms — a departure from the usual practice of unveiling an official painted portrait only after a president leaves office. An earlier portrait commissioned after his first term, painted by the late Ronald Sherr, was never displayed because Trump was running for reelection when it was completed. But now, Trump wants a different image to represent his full tenure. At the same time, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has already stirred debate by replacing Trump’s previous photographic portrait in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition and stripping wall text that noted his two impeachments and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The new display features a stark image by White House photographer Daniel Torok with minimal context, a contrast to other presidents’ portraits, which still include fuller biographical captions. At the same time, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has already stirred debate by replacing Trump’s previous photographic portrait in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition and stripping wall text that noted his two impeachments and the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The new display features a stark image by White House photographer Daniel Torok with minimal context, a contrast to other presidents’ portraits, which still include fuller biographical captions. ... See MoreSee Less
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.... See MoreSee Less
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.A looser approach to this demo ... See MoreSee Less
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.First self portrait in a while. I didn't see the point unless o had a spin on the genre. ... See MoreSee Less
This content isn't available right now
When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.