Artsy Inspiration Wrought from Everyday Life

We live less than a block from the confluence of the Tongue and Little Tongue rivers. The Tongue River rarely floods Dayton, but its Little Tongue tributary, fueled by quickly melting snow from the face of the Bighorn Mountains, rages through our little town in the spring, occasionally splashing over the nearby bridge and up 2nd Avenue to our driveway and front yard. I was caught unprepared on the morning of May 28th, when for the first time in 60 years, Little Tongue- overburdened by run-off and heavy rains- left its banks all over Dayton. The water came our way from the south, flooding my art studio and our garage. The ten days that followed taught me about faith, friends, fortitude, and finding blessings in what feels like tragedy at the time. [...]

It was a great honor when my college art instructor, Jim Lawson-who still teaches me something every time I talk to him, and who made me realize that a degree isn't requisite to my being an artist- came to see my new space. Like Terry, and that big old window, Jim's been there from the beginning of my career as an artist. [...]

Art-makers are influenced by artists whose work moves us, but rather than copy someone else's art, an artist's style should be an amalgamation of imagination-what they have to say- and their influences- how they choose to express it. [...]

Just as it's made school work easier, today's technology allows artists to learn, share, create, market and earn income in ways never imagined by our predecessors, but along with its blessings, technology can drag a person out of the creative realm altogether! [...]

I've always wanted to have a way to pull my Soltek easel, which would be handy for transporting it through streets or along long trails. When I saw these two vintage golf carts at an auction yesterday, I knew I'd found it. [...]

Adding green significantly changed the light here...See how it makes the bottom right look more red? That's the power of complementary colors. It also makes the horse appear more pink, whereas the previous orange background brought out the blues in his coat. A blue background would have made the orange on the opposite side look brighter and bolder, and would have made the horse more orange than red. [...]

"Life can take turns that pull us away from our plans, but if we keep faithful to our ambitions and work hard, it's possible to end up exactly where you want to be." [...]