But when I can shut down my ego, and just focus on doing what I need to do, and keeping my inner demons where they belong -- then not only does my work go more smoothly and flow, but all kinds of crazy luck comes my way.... Most people learn the technical side of writing first, and then discover they're hamstrung, because then the emotional side they never knew about comes out and kicks their ass. … I'm reposting it here, because it's worth saying again.... You might have some of the best training out there, but get absolutely flattened when it comes time to create something new, if you're not also prepared to deal with the issues that surface when you try to create.
Read Moreanother oil painting
One week, she had light brown hair; the next, she'd dyed it that color I have a particular loathing for -- the burgundy red not found in nature, which is so inexplicably popular with women I know. It looks wretched, fake, plastic, and makes your skin look dead.... When I become Bitch Queen of the Universe, I'm making dying your hair this color a flogging offense.
Read More20 Design Reminders: #2 -- Communicate; don't decorate.
Or a poster where you could barely make out what the message was from underneath all the grungy ink marks?... If you haven't, let's watch it now: Now, with the first couple of modifications to the packaging, it looks like communication is happening: feature descriptions are added, bullet points added, OS requirements… all well and good, yes? But then, something happens, That video's an object lesson in what happens when you try too hard to communicate, and end up decorating.
Read Morethe gallery's updated
Last night when I got home, it was overcast, and still light; so I took advantage of this great lighting, and shot a stack of oil paintings I'd been meaning to photograph. Here's one: This one was about three hours, done all in one sitting.... Take a look at the updated gallery to see more, if you like.
Read Moretribal bellydancer painting
I'm very happy with how this one turned out, and Sabrina, the model, liked it too, which was a great compliment.... It's interesting to me how the paintings of models I know and get along with turn out whole orders of magnitude better than the ones where I don't know the model at all. There's something about making that connection that helps me immensely in getting a read on who they are and what they're about, and I think it shows in the resulting work.
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