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,

I like to draw.       I like to play piano.       I like to write.       And I like to share that with people. A lot of times, this is what I hear: “You’re so good at it! I could never  do that.” I’ve heard this far too often, and usually, I just take it as a nice compliment. People like what I’m able to do, and in trying to make me feel better about myself, they unintentionally put themselves down.      Not even getting into the topic of putting yourself down to make someone

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

🍁 A bucket full of autumn questions...🍁 So many of the people I know enjoy both blog challenges, and the autumn! Why not...

Without a doubt, J. R. R. Tolkien, the famous author of The Lord of the Rings , was heavily influenced by Beowulf , the epic of the...

In an age where 'newer' is 'cooler,' updates are crucial and the newest styles have to be acknowledged as by far the best, it's easy to...

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:...

I obviously missed most of summer, so pardon the suddenly summery-themed blog posts, while the weather is growing cooler, and everyone's...