Author Archives: artconsp

After years of sitting on the bottom shelf, unopened and brand new, I released the Gelli Plate from its packaging. What is a Gelli Plate you ask? A Gelli Plate is a “reusable printing surface made of non-perishable gel.” In … Continued

What makes painting a mural so different from other kinds of painting? You might think it’s because of scale, although murals aren’t necessarily big. In fact, they come in all shapes and sizes. I’ve done a few over the years, … Continued

A monsoon rain poured down, leaking through the roof. Papers left in the danger zone became a soggy mess and mold threatened the honey based watercolor paint. On one side of the room, jungle vines snaked in between the screens … Continued

Chiang Mai is messy…in a good way. Despite being an ancient city, there is an ever present fertility that expresses itself in weedy plants, rotting garbage, and thatched roofs in need of overhaul. While temples may feel like fortresses, the … Continued

Living a creative life requires two opposing forces, freedom and discipline. The freedom part comes easily to me, although I can’t take much credit as it agrees with my natural state of being. Any discipline I possess has been hard … Continued

I arrived tired, and in many ways spent…artistically and otherwise. Rather than give myself time to acclimate to my new surroundings, I jumped right in, sketching one charming scene after another.  Too charming it turned out. Everything I did looked … Continued

Not every subject appears worthy. My “In the Mirror” series often requires making magic out of the mundane. It also forces me to work when I’m decidedly not in the mood. In this case, a delayed flight left me stranded … Continued

“Are you packed yet?”  I’ve been getting this question a lot lately and the answer is no. Art supplies take up most of the space in my suitcase and I’ll be needing those until the last possible second. My desk … Continued

Artists, whether or not they admit it, benefit from limitations. In fact, they thrive on limitations. A teacher of mine once referred to this idea as “freedom within a harness.” And he nailed it.  Feeling safe and buffered by a … Continued

Writing about art is tricky business.  I could easily cook up some fancy language to describe this image, but is that really necessary? Would some well chosen words make you see it better? Like it better?  How about some shop … Continued