I just discovered a recording I made - and then in the swirl of my life this past summer, I completely forgotten about. It was late one night and I was in the car with the dog, while waiting at the emergency. I was prompted to share it here after reading a Facebook post from my dear friend Betsy Graziani Fasbinder about the lifecycle of butterflies…

Recorded early one morning while on vacation at the end of a supercharged summer, sitting on the shores of Lake Tahoe. A rare moment of solitude on vacation, shared with you, including reflections on my experience of committing to paint every day the summer of 2024. In this episode I refer to a post, written at the end of 2016, when I shared my tho…

A short-ish episode to update you on how my 92 Days of Watercolor are going, amidst a life that suddenly became very full of everything else besides art. While recording the previous episode I was inspired to spontaneously make a commitment to paint every day the summer of 2024 - and invite others to join me. Check it out on my Facebook pages: Cara…

In this episode I share some fresh thoughts about something that I was left wondering about at the time I was writing my online journal every week. Something came to me early one morning that I jumped out of bed to share. It's the interplay and intersection between two ideas - creative confidence and commitment. While recording I was inspired to sp…

Discussion of papers

Another episode exploring the challenge of time and attention for our creative work in our lives. I take the "both-and" point of view in debates. We do need to corral ourselves to get to our studios, *and* there are natural rhythms that directs all of life on earth. What if we learn to really pay attention to ourselves and follow our inner directio…

This is a calendar time-specific episode, though the ideas are applicable for any time in life. I wrote a journal entry in the spring of 2016 when I was in a place of sorrow that coinsided with Holy Week - between Palm Sunday and Easter. I drew upon something I'd learned about a day that isn't talked about - Easter Saturday - for solace and for the…

What is beauty - how is it part of life on earth? And most importantly what is its impact on us - and does it matter? These are the questions I ponder and muse upon in this episode. The story of the restorative weekend that I told in this epsode came from this post: https://www.lifeinfullcolor.com/my-art-and-process/august-16-2016-just-make-beauty.…

What determines whether something is art or not? Whether it is good art?

I took inspiration from something that Martha Graham famously said. Humans can be blessed by a certain unrest, by an inner disturbance, of sorts, that causes us to take action to make stuff happen in the world. It had me clean up my studio, and it keeps me making one new piece of art after the next. It also causes us to do all kinds of things, like…

As I recover from surgery I’m thinking about why I can’t paint now.

A review of a great series called Portrait Artist of the Year.

How to decide what to include in a painting.

I'm here to support and encourage each of us to follow our own breadcrumbs towards our art. There are strong opinions about whether or not making art based on photos ought to be done. As with all aspects of art-making whether or not to use photos is up to each of us. This eposide was inspired by a post that I published under the title "Photos or li…

A definition of fine art that may help to see art in a different light.

I'm trying something different with this episode. I thought I'd offer some "how it works" insights I have about the very basics of watercolor - the water! There isn't a journal post from my website to point you to with the same general message. Though some of the ideas that I share I first wrote about in a post on painting "fuzzy backgrounds" on Ju…

What makes great works of art?

Are you afraid of ai? Lister to this to ease your fears.

Focusing - in order to get stuff done - is more natural for some of us than others. In this episode I take a look at how this is and offer a point of view for those of us who lack the natural abiltiy to easily shut out the world - and the gift in this way of being. This eposide was inspired by a post that I published under the title "When it's hard…

The story behind the environment that has been created through gathering with watercolor artists and students over these past dozen years - and how surrounding ourselves with this kind of support impacts the art we make. This eposide was inspired by a post that I published under the title "Like Potatoes on Mars" on April 12, 2016, which is here: "h…

How some new students have difficulty getting on board to watercolor process.

How painting process can offer the same benefits of meditation.

What’s going to happen to art with the age of ai upon us?

Examining the "why" that has us do whatever we do is an interesting and potenitally powerful exercise. I look at this idea with regard to what drives my/our painting efforts - with a little Henry Miller thrown in for fun and inspiration! This eposide was inspired by a post that I published under the title "Why make art?" on March 29, 2017, which is…

In this episode I explore the relationship between our inner and outer rooms - that is the space inside that holds aspects of ourselves - especially our creative parts - and the places outside where we actually do our creating. It's about creating and claiming space for what we are called to do. This eposide was inspired by a post that I published …

Thoughts about putting together an art show.

I am a let's-get-personal-kind-of-person. I am oriented subjectively - in pretty much all aspects of my life - but this is especially so in my art-making life. In this episode I make the case for giving ourselves the permission to get as personal as we are so inclined in the how and what of our art. This is the only way we can really speak with our…

Two incidents, two days in a row had me go looking for something I'd written, and wisdom I'd shared from other sources, that reminded me of the full story behind the protestations that arose in me from each of these two interactions. This one has to do with whether or not we intentionally imbue our creations with messages, emotions, etc - and ultim…

A few different approaches to viewing art.

It's been a busy, distracted and chaotic-feeling year so far. And I've not been painting much at all! I went searching through my posts for inspiration and wisdom that *I* needed to hear in this moment to get re-connected with my painting-self. I need a reminder of how it can be when painting is a heart-centered devotion, rather than something to c…

What is your intention in looking at great art? How to better achieve that goal.

When can good technique hinder advancement as a fine artist?

Why is he so good?

The illusion of light in our paintings is a magical thing. Using just contrast of and dark and the subtleties of relative lights and darks in between, we can create a world. In this episode, hear how in response to a short question, I came up with the four aspects of how it is that I (at least) create worlds of light in my paintings. Includes ideas…

Color! It's such a *deal* for those of us who make art. It can variously be an obsession, a challenge, a tool - as well as a source of fear and/or curiosity. I posit that each of us has some kind of relationship with it. I myself am a self-professed color nerd and daily appreciator of it in my life. In this episode I explore at least two aspects of…

Maybe art sessions can help heal the bad effects of constant interactions with digital devices.

Can a toddler make contemporary art? No. So what’s going on with those scribbles and blotches that sell for millions?

Is there a difference between playing with different art materials and making true and meaningful fine art?

Will education destroy natural creativity?

What’s in your paint and did anyone die making it?

Yes! We are related to our creations - our paintings for those of us who paint. I outline some of the stages in these relationships in an amusing - but true - way. And, I explore the practice and the value of the standard art critique - and how much it honors these relationships. Includes ideas from a post orignally published under the title "Our l…

How to manage your creative time

Don’t pick up that brush until you have employed the three a’s. Awareness of what’s there. Assessment of the shapes colors, etc. Then action.

Three things to watch out for when reaching an intermediate level of painting skills.

How I came to understand just what kind of artist I am - and let go of any idea that I'm not a real artist - for all those who are journalist-artists too! Orignally published under the title "I am a journalist!" on September 15, 2015 here: http://www.lifeinfullcolor.com/life-stories/september-15-2015-i-am-a-journalist/ where you can see photos and …

Hear about the role that work and the energy to do work plays out in our lives and art-making - and learn a word in Croatian! Orignally published under the title "Renewing my Appreciation for Work" on March 17, 2015 here: http://www.lifeinfullcolor.com/life-stories/march-17-2015-renewing-my-appreciation-for-work/ Cara Brown - Watercolorist - Teache…

Is criticism good for artists?

Opening up to the way our ever changing bodily and mental states affect our creative process and how to use them or enhance them to be in flow.

How does personality type affect creativity?

How to approach dazzlingly beautiful subjects