I’m not sure how many years have passed since Sara, Evelyn, Hannah and I participated in iMadonnari but I will never forget the experience. We packed a picnic, slathered on the sunscreen, and set out with our bucket of chalk…

Since my daughter was a wee one, we've always made a summer wishlist—places to visit, things to make, people to see. Every idea gets put down on paper to hold us accountable to some good memory-making and to have a…

Keeping a sketchbook is very important for the burgeoning artist. Some sketchbooks should be dedicated to imaginative spontaneous drawing. Some should be dedicated to the work of learning the skill of drawing. I call this the “directive drawing” sketchbook. At…

We moved to the city when my boys were toddlers. I shed tears in sessions, endured a hefty dose of grief. During one particular session, being a forward thinker (worrywart), I heaved gut-wrenching sobs for the loss of freedom to…

I keep all sorts of REAL art supplies on hand, have a dedicated pantry in the kitchen! Here are some tips that have helped me tamp down the chaos of prepping for an art lesson: I keep my paints in…

It’s time to launch a brand new school year. I open iPhoto to flip through images hoping to be inspired by antics past. I click through until I spy little Taylor with two of his elementary home school buddies, “How…

We’ve been studying Leonardo da Vinci’s crossbow design. So naturally my youngest son wanted to purchase a toy crossbow. His dad suggested he make one. Søren mulled it over for a few days then whipped out his design at the…

Basho wandered by foot through medieval Japan, kept a diary of his journeys—prose woven with haiku. There is sublime simplicity in the poet’s observations:  A hundred years! All here in the garden in these fallen leaves  With plum blossom scent,…

Fixed gear bicycles are all the rage in our neighborhood. I think this means that the bike can’t coast because the bike’s crank and the rear wheel are dependent of each other. What is so great about that? I mean…

The year I moved back to LA the first thing I did was pack the kids in the car and head to art museums. I had been teaching art for years, but here I was in LA, an art hub…