Members of the Society of Decorative Painters were invited to paint ornaments for a holiday tree to be displayed at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Art Gallery. The ornament had to be inspired by one of the paintings currently in their exhibit. My daughter Heidi and I participated. I’m posting the paintings that inspired and the ornaments [...]

When Winsor-Newton announced they would no longer manufacture their 710 series, I went into mourning. How could I live without them? Of course I stocked up and I confess that I still have a secret stash of them for personal painting.  The problem was that I could’nt teach with them. How can you tell students [...]

Attention Oil Painters!
Krylon changed changed the formula of it’s 1311 spray a few years ago. It no longer worked to seal acrylic backgrounds or “quick dry” oil paintings to allow glazing. Some prominent decorative painters have been working with Krylon to reinvent the formula so it would work as it used to. The decorative artists doing the [...]

That is Columbia in South America, not North Carolina! I had the honor of teaching painting in this beautiful city of ten million people. Suffice it to say, it was a lovely experience. Click on Bogata, Columbia at the top left of this page for photos.

Recently the world seems engulfed in a spirit of contention. People are just plain in a bad mood. Is it because they have anger and fear because of a lack of control about so many things (for example the economy) and they are taking out their anger and fear on others?  If you are feeling argumentive or critical, [...]

We need your help to grow the Society of Decorative Painters. Our membership numbers have dropped significantly since 2001. As our membership drops so does our revenue. In order to maintain our programs at their current levels, we need a resurgence of growth in our membership.
Be part of our solution by empowering yourselves to seek [...]

I’m going to tell you one of the scariest words that exists. Interested? It’s change. There I said it. Are you scared? If not, you are in the minority. Change makes people anxious, but without change there can be no growth, no new ideas, no increase in knowledge. Without change life is just plain dull.
The Society of Decorative [...]

Blogs are a way to express your feelings, ideas, and dreams,to share your knowledge with others and to give an opportunity for discussion of ideas. It’s hard for some of us to get used to this public forum. We need to preserve some privacy, but we also want to learn and grow. Can we do [...]