After working through the formula for Positive Predictive Value in my data analysis course, I should now definitely analyze what I have in common with Eminem. But it’s after 9 p.m. and I’m tired, and anyhow, this rap pretty much says it: No matter how many battles I been in and won No matter how many magazines on my … read more It’s never enough
Category: Improvisation
The Adventure Girl Cookbook: Improvising a Life. Recipes, ideas and stories about creativity, mindfulness and improvisation as a major ingredient in art, food, work, life
Painting with pieces of paper
Time is a deterrent to painting. By the time I clear a space to work, get out and set up the paints and brushes and canvas and easel, decide what to paint, and then allow time for cleaning up and putting away – well, I need three hours to do a session of any value. … read more Painting with pieces of paper
Picasso said so
One of my mental blocks about art is that I am always trying to create a masterpiece. After all, Picasso said, Everything you can imagine is real. So if I can imagine a masterpiece, it is real already. I just have to paint it. So I come to the daily practice, reminding myself of another … read more Picasso said so
Weeping, and other visions
“Those who do not weep, do not see.” – Victor Hugo, “Les Miserables” A friend offered this quote after my sorrowful post about my failures in fused glass. It reminds me of the passage from Khalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” engraved on my memory: “The more that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can … read more Weeping, and other visions
Seeing in palettes
Adobe has long been known for its overly complex software, but Photoshop and Lightroom have for years been programs that I can’t live without. Today I discovered a new one: Adobe Capture, an app that makes it really simple to discover a palette of colors for a scene. (You can also make brushes, vector graphics and “looks” for … read more Seeing in palettes
13 Rectangles: The Game
After viewing part of a video series on Foundations of Color, I picked up on the painting 13 Rectangles by Wassily Kandinsky where I left off. This time I tried playing with color groupings: And then I wondered about trying to do realistic scenes: And then I wrote out the rules for the game that I’m … read more 13 Rectangles: The Game
More broken glass
My piece from the first week of fused glass class was a square bowl, and it didn’t turn out well. The transparent purple and the neon blue look odd together when fused. The gold threads were completely lost. All the colors are distorted by the surface beneath them, unless the bowl is displayed on a white … read more More broken glass
Slivers of autumn light
There’s a light that comes in the fall, one that gathers up everything it touches with warmth and death. In this light even the simplest thing – a tiny crack in the wood of the porch railing – glows and pulses. I was out there this morning, camera in hand, keeping my promise to the day. Hypermacro … read more Slivers of autumn light
Where do ideas come from?
In fused-glass class today, one of the other students asked the instructor, “Where do you get ideas for projects and patterns?” I had to zip my mouth to stop from saying, “Where do you NOT get ideas?” For me the problem is “Where do I get the time to carry out all the ideas I have already?” … read more Where do ideas come from?
German frittata
I’ve got four hungry people to feed this morning and no omelette pan. What to do? If you’re Germanic like me, you make a frittata. It’s perfect for a group breakfast on a weekend trip because you can keep them all busy doing the prep work of chopping, grating and mixing. I love having guests for this reason. … read more German frittata