There was a time not so long ago when most anyone (especially girls) could do art. The only known portrait of Jane Austen was painted by her own sister, an artist of no great consequence, but an artist nonetheless. Now, because life is so busy, very few have the time to dedicate to visual art. Unless you want to make it into a career, it seems that there's no point in doing it, right? Wrong! Off the top of my head, I can think of several reasons why it's beneficial

I wish I could say this was from my mountain (I took it not far away though!) and it fits in spirit with the post. :D I love autumns on my mountain. I love the walks, scuffing among the leaves. I love the curled leaves all about the dying grass. I love the little cabin in the woods...how it fits so snugly among the trees. I love how orange leaves are the blue sky's compliments. I love the golden light, I love looking up,

Well, it was a close race, but welcome, Elaine Beck! Readers have picked you for the interview! We're all so excited to have you on Shades of Art for — Heavens, yes! Thank you so much. You have no idea how excited I was when you dropped by and asked. What kind of questions do I need to answer? And, Gandil, I hate to say this, but I can't be here for too long. Adriane needs me to wash the windows as soon as possible. Alright, we'll move quickly, but there's actually

Over the past year, I have come to know and love a very dear family that resides in Virginia in a lovely place called Weeping Willow...

I know it was forever ago that I wrote the blog post When my Writing Exploded , but when I did, I promised that I would have a part two:...

Badminton with my siblings... Wild roses... Thunderstorms... And the window pane after... Freshly cut grass... Wild roses and gates......

Earlier mornings... Splashes of color... Growing trees... Blue skies... Pink sunrises... Spring rains and rose petals... New buds... This...

Welcome, Armatrod. We're so glad to have you on Shades of Art for this interview. Thank you for coming! You're welcome, Autumn. Thank...

I have always loved stories. And I have always loved art. A glance at “ My Artistic Journey in Pictures ” will tell you that, but I have...

It's high time I shared my art with you. Of course, you probably have already gathered that I appreciate art, but I have shared precious...

Something that many artists battle with is trying to be original in their creations. It can be a suffocating trap to fall into—the idea...

I walked into the room of the local art center, excited.      My Mom and I were passing by and had stopped in to see an exhibit full of...

I decided to share this early since I will be on vacation all week. :) Usually, I'm not a camp kind of person. Most of them have big...