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This article was originally written by invitation for the Pastel Artists of New Zealand's newsletter. Unfortunately, the last several paragraphs and painting were accidentally omitted so I'm reposting it here on my blog:

 For many years I worked exclusively in pastel. Although I used a watercolor and acrylic ink underpainting, the final layer was mostly dry pastels (the acrylic ink gives me a much richer, more saturated underpainting than watercolor alone can and I love to use a combination of the two under skin tones and especially dark areas like hair and clothing). While this is important to enter pastel society exhibitions that require that the final piece must be at least 80% I was getting frustrated by these restrictions. I kept seeing paintings in other mediums that I loved and not wanting to start learning a whole new medium I set out to experiment how I can achieve similar results while still working with my beloved pastels.

One of the first results was my Quiet Beauty series where I used iridescent acrylic paint and stencils in the background. This was done after the portrait was finished in pastel and quite scary at first! After all, I had spent many hours on the portrait and I could easily screw up the background and ruin the whole painting. I laid paper over the finished pastel parts to protect it and then very carefully laid the stencil down and applied the acrylic paint. Luckily it worked and I loved the result, creating several more pieces this way. This is the first piece in that series which was started as a demo in a workshop:

Quiet Beauty I, 12x12 inches

Another early painting using mixed media was Chaos:

Chaos, 20x30 inches

Here I actually painted the pastel part (the figure) last since I wanted to splatter and be very loose with the background. I used a lot of gesso and charcoal in addition to the pastel, watercolor and acrylic ink. You can see the step-by-step pictures for both of these on other blog posts (you can also see how I use the watercolor and acrylic ink as an underpainting).

For When I Am Silenced Can You Not Still Hear My Screams #1, you can see where I left the bright watercolor and acrylic ink underpainting showing through in the background (the red and yellow), which was part of the underpainting of the whole piece. I then painted the face in pastel followed by applying heavy bodied acrylic paint (NOT the ink) with a palette knife, dragging it over parts of the figure. I sprayed the pastel with some fixative first so it wouldn't smear too much but I still wiped my palette knife after each stroke because it would pick up some of the pastel skin tones.

When I Am Silenced Can You Not Still Hear My Screams #1, 8x8 inches

Here is a piece where I used metallic ink on the abstracted figure on the left and pastel on the rest of the piece:

Enough, 7.5x16 inches

The writing is done with black pastel, not charcoal, because it is darker and would show up better over the dried metallic ink.

I took a very different approach with Resist:

Resist, 11x14 inches

The whole painting is done in my usual way of laying soft pastel over dried watercolor and acrylic ink but the black heavy bodied acrylic paint was applied with a palette knife directly onto the back of the museum glass before framing it. I love the look which gives it a three dimensional feel and plan to do more this way but I must admit it's a bit scary to think about the glass breaking during shipping!!

The following piece actually has a lot more acrylic ink on it than pastel so it could never be entered into a pastel show but that doesn't bother me:

Gemini I, 8x10 inches

The entire background is acrylic ink, only the figure is in pastel.

Leave A Message In The Dust For Me, is another such example:

Leave A Message In The Dust For Me,10x10 inches

Only the figure is done in pastel, the background is painted with silver and gold metallic acrylic ink sprinkled with coarse salt to mimic the Moon's craters and the space around the moon is micaceous iron oxide which has a lovely sparkly look to it that I just love.

For A Glimpse Of Klimt (Portrait Of Artist Nicole Alger) I was tempted to use actual gold leaf like Klimt did but I wanted to use my own method of using metallic acrylic ink for the gold instead. While I have used metal leaf in other pieces before I am not fond of the mess it makes and prefer using the ink.

For A Glimpse Of Klimt (Portrait Of Artist Nicole Alger), 10x10 inches Time was also of the essence since I had a tight deadline to submit it to a show and the ink was faster than gold leaf. I also knew I could easily work the charcoal over the gold ink. I used charcoal in the pattern because I wanted it to be less intense than the hair which has a lot of black pastel in it. I also like the way the charcoal let some of the gold shimmer through.

One of my most recent series is the Pins series which is completely different:

Rise #1, 8.5x11 inches

While all the other examples above were painted on sanded paper (usually UArt 320 or 400), here I used pan pastels on translucent vellum (and later in the series switched to Mylar because it's a bit thicker) which is then layed on top of foamcore before adding the push pins. You can see I also used a stencil in the background. I thought my framer would kill me when I presented him with this challenge but he didn't:) Note: I dabbed glue around each pin in the back to ensure that none would come loose during framing or shipping. Why did I use pins? I have been wanting to combine some sort of fiber art with pastel and have used yarn in the past because I love fiber art and grew up knitting, crocheting, doing needlework, etc. This series is an homage to my grandmother (a seamstress) and mother (who used to do piece work sewing sequins onto evening gowns). You can see more of this series here.

So far some of the things I have used with pastel are: stamping, stencils, gesso, acrylic, watercolor, ink, yarn, wire, modeling paste, push pins, stone paper, rocks, metal leaf, liquid metal leaf pens, charcoal (dry and liquid, yes, they make liquid charcoal!), watersoluble oils, acetone, mylar, all kinds of scraping and application tools. I will probably remember a few more later!

My latest work combines pan pastel with stone paper and acrylic ink mounted onto cradled wood panels. This We All Bleed Red series is for a two person exhibition next spring. Only one piece is currently on my website, I may not reveal the others until it's showtime, but maybe I will:)

For me, using mixed media, found objects, stencils, etc. is all about creating the images and telling the stories with them that interest me, not whether or not the works will be accepted into any one art organization. I don't want to be limited to their rules anymore and will try different ways to make more personal art...with whatever it takes!

Recently I hosted a workshop with Dawn Emerson and she showed us how to use printmaking and watersoluble oils among other things in combination with pan pastel and pastel sticks. It was a very fun and informative workshop and I highly recommend her as an instructor. You may also want to check out her book Pastel Innovations or her videos online.This was one of the paintings I created in the workshop:

Patterns #3, 10x10 inches

I encourage you to give free rein to your imagination and let yourself play and experiment. It can be a bit nerve wracking and you may toss a few in the trash like I did but allow yourself that time to learn and grow and come up with your own way of working that will excite you and make you want to run to your studio in the morning! I can't wait to see what YOU come up with!

A quick view of how I use watercolor and acrylic ink to create vibrant underpaintings for my pastel portraits.

After this dries I start applying the pastels.

This is the finished painting:

Here you can see some progression shots for Quiet Beauty II, 12x12 pastel and acrylic.

My approach has been compared to a mosaic type of applying not only the wet underpainting but the first layers of pastel as well.

I exaggerate the colors I see as I work on the underpainting in watercolor and ink on UArt sanded paper.

The finished and dried watercolor and ink underpainting:

Yes, it looks like a mess and I tell my students (and myself!) not to panic at this point but to trust the process! The very forgiving medium of pastel can cover up anything I don't like so I can let loose and have fun with the watercolor first. That step gives me a nice colorful foundation rather than a white paper surface. I can let whatever color I choose to poke through my pastel layers or cover it all up!

First layers of pastel going on:

I still work in patches of color all over the painting, repeating colors in various areas throughout for a harmony and cohesion. I do use more natural skin tones at this point. I find it easier to use punchy colors at first, then tone them down as needed. If I start off too neutral it's more difficult to add life to the painting with more vibrant color later.

Here some areas have been blended already:

 I do use my fingers at this point but I dab at the pigment rather than rubbing it in. It takes the right amount of pigment to make this work. With enough layers the colors blend themselves anyway, or I use harder pastels for blending by letting them push the pigment around that was laid down by the softer pastels. This is the middle stage and more pastel will be applied even over the blended areas because I don't want a too smooth look in the end. I want to see clear markings of pigment, not one smooth area of color. By having just the right amount of pigment on my paper and then dabbing rather than rubbing to blend it doesn't create mud or leave too much oil from my fingers on the piece.

The finished piece with pearlescent acrylic paint applied to the background pattern:

This, as well as Quiet Beauty I, was started as a demo in one of my portrait workshops and I will donate part of the proceeds from sales to the organization who runs the Haitian orphanage where these girls live and where I first met them in 2010. I will have to play around with photographing these in order to get better shots that show the true skin tones as well as the variety of color and light in the background pattern.

My last painting of 2016 was another mixed media piece. Increasingly, I'm enjoying experimenting with new materials to achieve the look I'm after. Here I wanted to juxtapose the realistic, detailed figure with an abstracted background.

To read the story behind this painting, please click here.

#1:

I mounted UArt 320 grit sanded pastel paper onto gatorboard and did a drawing in charcoal which I then sprayed with fixative.

I underpainted the figure and lettering in ink and watercolor. For the background I randomly applied three different blue pastels, washing them with Turpenoid but leaving areas of untouched paper. Then I started applying white gesso with a palette knife working left to right.

#2:

First and second layers of more gesso applied with differently shaped palette knives, making sure I'd leave some blue and blank paper peeking through. This step is a lot of fun!!

#3:

In step 3 I added more gesso to cover up a bit more of the colors in the background. After it dried I dragged black pastel sticks over it, which created interested variations in tone and value because of the heavy texture of the gesso. I played around adding more pastel to some areas while leaving others untouched, blending the pigment into the surface in areas where I wanted more coverage. I then added the "text" (which does not consist of real words) with a soft charcoal pencil. Making random marks look like writing without using real letters is not as easy as it looks! Try it for yourself and you'll see. I have to get into a certain zone (music helps!) to "let it flow" effortlessly. If I force it you can tell!!

#4:

Here I added some greys and blues to the background, colors I would be using in the figure to create more overall harmony (yes, even on a piece dealing with chaos there needs to be harmony!). I then splattered gesso all over it (but very carefully thought out), protecting the figure as best as I could. Spritzing some of the gesso drips with a spray bottle of water and holding the painting at different angles created lovely runs and drips as well as a bit of a "starburst" effect in some spots.

#5:

Once I was happy with the background it was finally time to work on the figure! I knew the background would take me longer than the figure and if I couldn't achieve the look I was after I didn't want to have wasted my time  on the figure. Here I was working from the top down, face first, then shirt and hands.

#6:

Finished with the pants and boots.

#7:

A close up so you can see the scale better.

#8:

Yes, it IS possible to create detail even in small areas with big sticks of pastel! It's all in the touch and the edges of the sticks. I only used pastel pencils VERY sparingly on this (only on the first layers of the pupils and the final strokes of SOME of the creases of the eye lids)!

Finished:

Chaos, 20"x30"

You can see that I added more darks under the figure so he wouldn't be "floating".

I hope this post inspires you to experiment and try mixing different materials. I sometimes get frustrated with the time the learning curve eats up but it's so worth it to grow as an artist and break up the routine. I'm looking forward to more mixed media work in 2017!

I am keenly interested in portraying the human condition and our connection to each other, our similarities, the struggles and joys we all share. Women's and children’s issues are of special interest to me and some of my work has expanded to social commentary. I like to create images that tell a story with multiple layers of meaning to draw in the viewer and elicit a strong emotional response.

About a year and a half ago my work took a turn and became much more personal. I wanted to overcome personal fears of exposing myself too much to others by telling more of my own personal story. This work resulted in my current solo exhibition at TAG Gallery titled Wende/Transformation (see my event page here or on Facebook here).

I was born in 1962’s West-Berlin, in close proximity to the Berlin Wall and spent my formative years there among a people that in general are very reserved. Within my own family there were walls built up and torn down which shouldn’t have been. I realized walls were a major theme running throughout my life and for the first time I wanted to explore something so personal through my work. Making the resulting paintings public was one way of my breaking down an internal wall I had built up myself. All my life I had erected my own walls of protection and fears but since moving to the wide open spaces of the American Southwest I had been learning to tear them down.

With this continuing series I am using the Berlin Wall as metaphor for all of the walls in our lives. Little did I know when I started this series last year just how politically timely it would be now with the current talk of division and building walls!

The paintings examine the endless contradiction and effects of walls.  Walls are real and physical, imagined and psychological. They make visible one’s fears, anxieties and insecurities. They separate and yet offer a common purpose. They divide us yet invite us to scale them and tear them down, to come together again. They offer comfort, though false, yet feed hate and fear. They isolate and protect. Walls keep people out AND in. They shelter us and yet make us want to break free. They repel and tempt. They control and we rebel. They are a prison and a freedom. We can choose to erect them or tear them down.

One example of the contradictory nature of walls is Schutzengel (Guardian Angel):

Schutzengel (Guardian Angel), 40”x60” pastel

When I spotted the graffiti of the angel on an actual left over piece of the Berlin wall still standing I knew it would perfectly illustrate my point of actually having felt protected by this ugly horrible wall as a child. “Schutzengel” literally translates to “protection angel”. Since I lived on the West side I never felt oppressed or locked in as a child in Berlin, but actually saw the wall as protecting us from the Russians.  Only when we ventured over into East Germany, either to visit or travel through, did I feel the oppression. The piece had to be very large in scale (40”x60”) and the figure about life size so the viewer might feel the oppression of the wall on one hand and the sense of protection from the large angel on the other.

Home is a similar example:

Home, 20”x20” pastel

The model stands in front of a steel wall (the original was made out of concrete), a memorial to the division of the city from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989 and in commemoration of the victims of Communist tyranny. During the photo shoot the light above the model's head appeared spontaneously and immediately gave me the title for this painting, referring not only to my hometown but our true spiritual home which is always present even in the darkest moments.

As you can see titles are very important to me. They add yet another layer of meaning and accentuate the content of each piece. Some of these paintings’ titles are inspired by Pink Floyd. Their music (the “Wall” album of course, but others as well) has always been among my most played in the studio but became instrumental in the creation of these works for obvious reasons.

Mother, Did It Have To Be So High and Daddy, What D’Ya Leave Behind For Me are taken directly from Pink Floyd lyrics.

Daddy, What D’Ya Leave Behind For Me? 20”x40” pastel

Both paintings and their titles refer not only to the Berlin wall but to my own upbringing. There are several small personal references "hidden in open view" in Daddy…, but the main theme of what our ancestors and families leave behind for us through our personal as well as the world's history is obvious. Personal references such as names and dates are also hidden in other pieces of this series.

Borders and Boundaries, 28”x28” pastel

Borders and Boundaries again refers to external political and internal personal restrictions and/or lack of them. By adding text and what I hope are intriguing titles the viewer is invited to venture beyond the obvious realistic image and explore the content of the work further.

The title for the next piece is from Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem which lyrics have had a profound impact on me. Here I used the addition of metal leaf to emphasize them.

There Is A Crack In Everything, That’s How The Light Gets In, 20”30” pastel and metal leaf

Someone To Watch Over Me (Self Portrait At Age Three) is my most personal work yet:

Someone To Watch Over Me (Self Portrait At Age Three), 24”x24” mixed media

While I used models as stand-ins for myself in the previous paintings here I used a reference photo of myself at age three. Wanting to add even more content I used mixed media including collage from old newspaper images depicting the signs and watch towers I used to see along the wall. I used heavily applied red acrylic in the background dripping over an outline of West and East Berlin to emphasize the communist threat around my city. The piece is a reference to my having felt watched all the time but also wishing to have had someone to watch over me MORE at other times.

This series continues into my figures in water paintings which on the surface appear to be nothing but pretty women in swimming pools but actually tell the story of how my emigration to America helped me step out from behind my walls and dive more freely into the deep end of life.

Recently I had the honor of being the juror for The Pastel Society of the Gold Coast’s “Passion for Pastels 2015” exhibit in Thousand Oaks, CA. I was thrilled to be asked and it was such a joy to view the many outstanding paintings in this show. The work inspired me on many levels and I had an EXTREMELY tough time choosing the award winners!! I had many more pieces short listed than I had ribbons for and it took a few hours to narrow it down. It was gut wrenching at times crossing off names that were completely deserving of an award. I myself enter a lot of art competitions and understand the agony when our work is not chosen for special recognition. I could have used at least 20 more ribbons, believe me! 

I’d like to share a little about my thought process as I juried this exhibition especially since I'm sure some would be surprised about my choices. This was a members show where members could bring in pieces without a juried selection process. I was the juror of awards, awarding the 8 ribbons for Best of Show, First, Second and Third Place as well as four Honorable Mentions to which I could add if I felt it necessary (I added one extra Honorable mention and could have easily added more!). I started out walking the entire room without looking too closely at details but instead responding to what pulled me in from across the room, what grabbed my attention and held it more than other pieces. I wrote these down and had a whopping 32 pieces on my list! On my next walk through I examined each of the 32 paintings more closely, analyzing what exactly had stopped me in my tracks in front of them earlier. Every juror looks for different things and of course our personal preferences also come into play, what we respond to on a gut level. I look for the following:

Strong abstract design and shapes: This is what pulls me in when viewing from a distance (or in a thumbnail online). All four top winners had very strong abstract design even though they were completely different styles!

Excellent composition and values: Is my eye guided by the artists’ use of skillfully placed light patterns and shapes throughout the painting?

Unusual subject matter and/or uncommon perspective: There were some stunning cloudscapes, landscapes and florals which were extremely well executed but didn’t quite make the cut because they seemed a little too familiar. With so many motifs repeated over and over an artist can grab a juror's attention by choosing a subject matter not often represented or painting a common scene from an unusual viewpoint.

It takes great skill to make a subject like an empty bathtub be so captivatingly beautiful that I wish I could add it to my collection because I want to look at it all the time!

Confident handling of the medium and interesting mark making: It is easy to tell when an artist has mastered his or her medium and applies it fearlessly. I also enjoy "seeing the hand of the artist" in their work, their strokes or brush work. There a so many different ways of applying pastel from crosshatching to scribbles and broad strokes, don't be afraid to experiment and see what fits your subject matter and personality.

Color: Whether a piece is almost monochromatic as Sydney Kopeikin’s Best of Show winner at the top or full of strong bright colors as Carrie Givens’ First Place winner “Canyon Gold” does not matter, but how I respond to it on an emotional level makes all the difference.

Content/Story: this is where your own artistic voice shines through, where you can make your audience linger, stir emotion and stimulate thought. In my opinion titles are also important for this because they add one more layer of connecting to your viewer, whether they arouse curiosity, clarify your intention or make us smile.

To sum it up, it did not matter much to me whether the work was abstract, impressionistic or realistic. If it pulled me in, held my attention, inspired strong feelings and left me in  awe it made “The List”.  The Best of Show award went to “Still Life with a Tub” by Syndey Kopeikin (see image at the top but keep in mind it does NOT do justice to the actual piece because many of the subtle color nuances and mark making don't show up very well here). Even with such minimalism of color, paint application and subject matter I found myself wanting to study this piece for hours! The composition is perfect, I loved the splashy watercolor underpainting with just a few expertly placed strokes of pastel, the beautiful depiction of light in the room, the barely there complementary colors of green and pink. I could see the hand of the artist clearly in the marks, felt their sensitivity and it made me want to see more of her work (which you can do on facebook here.)

A bit more advice in general:

- Pay close attention to your presentation of your work (matting and/or framing as well as hanging). It should not garner more attention than the painting (either positively or negatively) but needs to complement it to the highest degree. Don’t frame a contemporary piece in a traditional frame, choose the right color matting, make sure the mat is cut perfectly and the correct size.

- If you go to the trouble of entering juried competitions you might want to think about having an online presence, whether it’s your own website (easy and inexpensive to do nowadays) or an album on Pinterest or Facebook clearly marked as your art.  And keep it all updated! As I was writing this blog I wanted to show some of the work by the artists and get more specific but I had a hard time finding enough images online to be fair to all so I decided to make my comments more generic and only show the Best of Show winner. I wonder how many visitors to your shows want to learn more about you and view more of your work and give up out of frustration? I wonder how many exhibition visitors would be interested in purchasing other work from you? Make it easy for them to find you online!

I was asked to judge another exhibition in August, this one for the California Art League, but this time I will select the entries first from online submissions. I have done so before, for the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club's 116th Open exhibition at The National Arts Club in NYC in 2012 (you can read my post about being a juror of selection for this show here.)

While I enjoy being a juror and feel very honored to be asked it is always so tough knowing that some artists will be disappointed and others will totally disagree with my decisions. Just keep in mind that jurors are human with personal preferences and priorities in their process. Keep doing your best work and getting it out there! Let the award winners inspire you to raise your own bar. That's what I try to do whenever I get another rejection:)

Body. Mind. Spirit. These are my three new words that I chose for this year. As I wrote in a blog last year, I choose three words at the beginning of each year that will guide my thoughts and actions for those next 12 months. Last year's were: Clarity. Do. Faith. That was my first year doing this little exercise and it worked very well! I wanted to be more clear and focused about where my work was going, I wanted to procrastinate less and "just do it" and I wanted to have faith that all will work out just fine. Well, my work became much more personal as I took a trip to Berlin (my hometown) and started a series of paintings inspired by having grown up in the city. I'm keeping those paintings under wraps for now on the advice of my art coach as we're working towards an exhibition of them.

That was another action step I took in 2014: hiring an art coach (you can read about it on this blog post). Making that financial investment in myself and baring myself more in this somewhat autobiographical series certainly took a lot of faith that it's a worthwhile endeavor!

Looking back at the end of 2014 I can see a clear shift in my studio practice and it has paid off in paintings that I'm proud of as well as financial rewards. I had written down my income goal for the year, broken down into 12 increments so each month I knew what I would need to reach that goal. It helped me see when I might need to make that phone call to a client and get that commission going or where I could step up my marketing to reach more people. While I did not quite make my goal, I was short by only a few hundred dollars and I had the most income from my art ever!

So, this year I didn't even have to think about the words, they came to me on their own and immediately resonated. This is what they mean to me:

• Body (I put this first because I have neglected it in order to make more time for art, which was a huge mistake): regular time for exercise, maintenance (doctor's visits, chiropractor, massage, haircuts, etc.), sleep
• Mind: filling my creative and intellectual well (going to art exhibits, cultural events, reading non-fiction books), continuing to learn and expand my horizons and knowledge, paying attention to what I spend my time thinking about, watching on TV, reading
• Spirit: meditating, practicing mindfulness, prayer, spending time in nature and with family and friends, becoming more authentic in my work and private life

I had some health issues last year and found myself feeling tired, old and sluggish. I have had ups and downs with my weight all my life. Never anything major, but enough to not have me feel my best. It affects my mood and energy level so I am determined to get my body, mind and spirit back in alignment of where I want to be and how I want to feel. The problem in the past has been that I tend to overdo things. I get excited, bursting with good intentions and enthusiasm and while it has resulted in a couple of marathons and a very trimmed down figure at one time, it also took way too much of my time away from art. I'm currently reading a great book, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He mentions resistance to our work and the many forms it can take (drugs, sex, internet browsing, you name it) and I know I have used working out as a form of resistance to going into the studio. It's a great excuse, too, isn't it? I gotta work out to be healthy! Who would ever say time for exercise is a bad thing? Well, it is if it takes too much time! If it becomes an excuse for not doing your work. For me it means I have to be very careful about balance. Ah, there is that magic word again that we all try to achieve in our daily lives! In order to nurture my mind, body AND spirit this year, I have started new routines of exercise, meditation and healthier eating without overdoing it and sacrificing painting time.

For example, I keep my morning run to just 30 minutes, no matter how much I may want to go longer! I am not a morning person and much prefer running in the evening, but even with a running buddy I would find myself not always sticking to those plans because the day would get filled up with other tasks and before I knew it I did not get  my exercise in. Now, I'm forcing myself to do some exercise first thing in the morning!

I start with a 10 minute yoga routine right out of bed, which I had to FORCE myself to do every morning for the first month! I'm a very slow starter, not only with my body but my mind (try not to talk to me for at least the first hour of my day!). Even during my evening runs I start slowly and get faster as the miles go by. So, to turn from a morning sloth to someone who actually moves her body 2 minutes after getting up was no small feat for me! But oh, how that short routine wakes me up and energizes my body AND mind! Then I meditate for at least 10-15 minutes. Without that yoga routine I would fall right back to sleep while meditating! But now I'm wide awake, I can fully enter the meditation and have a great start to my day. This is followed by a small breakfast snack before heading out the door for 30 minutes. My purpose there is not to count the miles I'm walking or running, but to get my body moving to jump-start my metabolism, to get fresh air and connect to nature. so no matter if the rest of the day finds me stuck inside standing still at my easel, I got in this 30 minutes of movement and time outdoors. For me these 30 minutes are also another form of meditation and prayer and often I get insights, inspiration, ideas and solve problems. But again, I force myself to stick to 30 minutes so I will not take too much time away from my studio. This is crucial! I do not want to spend 2 hours a day on getting back into shape! Being good to my body is a priority this year in many ways, and this will undoubtedly also benefit my mind and spirit greatly, but so does painting, reading, spending time with loved ones. Meditating and taking a mindfulness class are all helping my studio practice, are clarifying my mind and art focus, but only when they don't take over too much time. I have to be careful not to use them as excuses not to get my work done because neglecting my work will only create a downward spiral of mind and spirit into dark places where I do not want to go.

Body. Mind. Spirit. I will write those three words in a circle before posting them on my mirror at home and in the studio where they will remind me each day that one feeds the other, each one needs the other to be healthy and in balance, without one overpowering the others. I do not want to spend hours meditating, while my studio sits empty, nor do I want to spend hours on end at the easel neglecting to move my body. Creating art does my spirit and mind good which in turn boosts my immune system. Exercise keeps me healthy and gives me energy so I can stand at the easel for hours and paint. It floods my brain with all those good chemicals that allow me to feel good, be optimistic about my work and future. Meditation and prayer calm my monkey mind which can run amok in too many different directions, which focuses my creative path, opens me up to whatever wants to come through my hand onto the paper and lowers my blood pressure.

Here are some tips that you may find helpful in adopting a more well-rounded routine yourself:

• Create a new Habit

We break old habits by breaking up routines: take a different route to work, fix your hair and make up in the other bathroom, sit in a different chair at the table, etc. We create new habits by doing them every day for at least 21 days (so the wisdom goes, although it usually takes me much longer!), so no matter what don't use excuses not to stick to your new routine. If I get a late start I have been forcing myself to still do my morning routine of exercise and meditation anyway even if it gets me to the studio late. I just don't want to use my art as an excuse not to take care of my body and vice versa!

• Limit your time

If I immerse myself too much in any one thing it may feel great for a while but sooner or later I will get burnt out and stop. If my exercise routine takes too much time out of my day I will stop doing it altogether, so I limit it to 30 minutes in the morning and leave more time 2-3 times a week when it won't interfere with my work day (evenings or weekends). Same with painting time. If I spend days on end holed up in my studio I may get a lot of work accomplished but I can start to feel too isolated. I have to drag myself away and spend time with people, get outdoors, have some non-art related fun.

• Write it down

It's a well-known fact that writing down our goals helps us to actually accomplish them. You can share some or keep them for yourself, but getting them out of your head and onto a screen or paper just activates the whole process and starts the wheels turning. Making lists and checking them off can feel quite wonderful as does looking back at the end of the week, month or year to see how close you came to your goals. Even writing this blog helps me stay more accountable.

• Get an accountability buddy

Not only  do I have a great running buddy who makes the longer runs fun and entertaining (we NEVER run out of things to talk about, no matter how many miles we do!), my daughter Alex, who lives in Texas and has completely turned her health around in the last year and I text each other every day asking if we stuck to our morning routines. Just like Facebook has motivated me to create new work so I can post regularly, it makes me feel good texting Alex that yes, indeed, her mom has done her yoga, running and meditation this morning!

And of course, my running buddy makes me show up for our runs when I might have skipped it on my own.

• Vary things up

I get bored easily, so to keep myself motivated I vary my running route or type of exercise I do (walking with hand weights, running hills or running longer on flat areas, hiking, biking, tennis, racquet ball, yoga). Meditation is great but so is reading a good book, hearing an inspirational talk, going to the theater. In the studio, if most of my work is commissioned portraits I need to take a break and create a non-commissioned piece. I do some abstracts after a lot of realistic images, or lately I started working in black and white again to take a break from color. Anything to keep me from getting stuck in a rut which can often lead to creative block, boredom and burn out.

• Cut yourself some slack

Don't beat yourself up for slacking off at times. Take notice why it happened (are you burnt out, genuinely tired or ill, bored?) and do better the next day or the next hour. Guilt only drags us back into the hole we're trying to get out of.

• Treat yourself like your best friend

Observe your daily activities like an outsider. If you saw your best friend avoiding her work what would you tell her? If you saw her drinking too much or spending hours on end at the gym while her creative work is left undone, how would you steer her back onto her path? Alternately, if you saw her finish her novel or that series of paintings, would you congratulate her and celebrate her achievement or tell her it's not good enough, that people may not like it?

So, here's to a healthier AND more creative 2015!

I'd love to hear your daily practices that keep your life in balance and your work flowing!

Getting ready for the annual holiday event at our studios I had a problem: how do I display my latest and largest pastel painting, Trust, without having to shell out hundreds of dollars in framing costs but keep it protected from the many visitors that will be strolling through? One swipe with a shoulder or purse (or a curious person actually touching it...yes, it has happened a couple of times and NOT by kids!) could be detrimental! My wonderful framer Jim at Museum Quality Framing in Camarillo, CA, came up with a great TEMPORARY solution: a clip frame! Since I usually place the glass directly on my finished work when framing, doing this was not a big issue for me. We did not use museum glass for this, though, but regular glass. While it did have some glare it looks worse in this photo than it does in person. I loved the contemporary frameless look and the piece drew lots of attention on the main wall of the display area of my studio. This painting is 36"x24" so framing it in my usual way with museum glass and a wood frame would have cost me hundreds of dollars. This cost me about $40! Yes, a client would have to replace this frame with a permanent one but this way they get to choose the perfect one for their environment. Caution would need to be taken when lifting the glass off the pastel to replace it, but as long as there is no sideways movement it should be just fine.  I paint on sanded paper and use a very light coating of fixative at the end so the pigment sticks to the paper very well and really does not adhere to the glass much. Now if I can only find a permanent way to frame pastels in such a sleek style! Anybody have any ideas, please leave a comment below!

Close up of the clips. There are two on each side.

The back of the frame. I used two nails in the wall to hold the string and balance the weight.

25 years ago today I got a call from my mother in the middle of the night. Through tears she kept repeating the words “The wall is falling! The wall is falling”. It took my sleepy brain a minute to realize that those were tears of joy not because of the impending disaster of a house collapse but that history was being made. And I had missed it by 3 days! I had just returned from a three week vacation there and if I had had even an inkling to what was about to happen, I would have stayed so I could have danced on top of that wall, too, that ugly grey concrete thing that was a constant in my early life. I knew it would fall eventually  but did not expect it to happen in my life time. Now it’s been 25 years already, only three more years until it will be gone as long as it was up. The fact that the wall “only” stood for 28 years quite surprised me during my last visit this past September. Of course, I had known this, but now that I have lived a few more decades 28 years doesn’t seem very long. But since it was built a year before I was born, we lived close to it in the Southern part of Berlin and it didn’t come down until after I moved to the U.S. it  was there throughout out my life.

After it fell it took me many more years to get used to it being gone. My family saw the reunification processes on a daily basis but it was strange for me during my visits to be able to just keep riding our bikes passed the old guard towers into the woods and fields for example. This was a spot where my best friend and I had our first experiment with pot, flipping off the East German guards watching the deviant West German youth through their binoculars from the towers in the “death strip”, the piece of land on their side of the wall marked by attack dog runs, barbed wire, alarms and other “defenses” (our dignity was further compromised when we promptly got so nauseous we threw up in the grass much to the delight of the guards). When my brother moved to Potsdam (the former East’s housing was much cheaper compared to the steep rent hikes in the West after reunification) I still would get nervous driving to his house, the old feelings of crossing into communist territory creeping up the back of my neck. It felt strange that the Berlin my young daughters were now experiencing was already so different. It was hard to explain the concept to them, what it was like to have a wall down the middle of a city, what it felt like, what it meant. Not living there full time and only coming for sporadic visits which were often fraught with family drama, hospitals and funerals, I only seldom ventured into the newly re-joined parts of East Berlin that quickly became a decades long construction zone.

Three years ago I ran the Berlin Marathon with Rich, my very first marathon. The 26.2 mile route took us through many parts of East Berlin that were unfamiliar to me before it wound through my old turf of Zehlendorf in the south, the Ku-Damm (once the heart of Berlin and a regular hangout) and finishing by running THROUGH the Brandenburg Gate into the Tiergarten (from the East to the West). Growing up looking over the wall at the gate which was located on the East side I was now running through it holding hands with Rich while my friends and family cheered! To say this was an emotional moment for me is an understatement!

That visit coupled with my recent one this year was a turning point for me and my relationship to my hometown. For years after I moved away I was homesick while at the same time loving living in America. At the same time at the end of each visit I was so ready to return to my “real” life in the U.S. Other immigrants understand this dichotomy well, feeling torn between two homes, two completely different lives. There is much more to say on that subject but that is for another time.

The overwhelming sentiment that came up for me during my last visit was how different a city Berlin is now compared to the one in which I grew up. It’s exciting and unsettling at the same time. If you grew up in Boston, for example, and now go back decades later, you’ll notice changes, of course. But it’s basically the same old streets, same landmarks and buildings for the most part. However to me, MY Berlin was joined at the spine by a whole other city. A city (East Berlin) that did not conjure up good emotions growing up, that always looked grim and grey, as if someone had turned off the lights, depressing and intimidating. I had never  known Berlin as an undivided city as the older generation had, only knew and loved it as half of its old self. Joining the two cities together is like finding a long lost sibling after decades apart and shaping a new family, creating new common experiences when your individual ones were so very different (a subject also familiar to me). There are ups and downs, emotions are strong but it’s exhilarating and offers so much potential.

Something inexplicably is pulling me back towards the city now and I’m not sure why that is. Old age? Shedding of baggage? Breaking through my own walls? Whatever it may be I have learned to listen to my inner voice and therefore plan on spending a lot more time in Berlin on a regular basis again. As it is, I am currently working on a new  very personal project, a series of paintings centering around the theme of walls. I hope to reveal it some time next year. I’m discovering Berlin anew for myself, not as a rebellious teenager itching to fly away to the wide open spaces and relatively uncomplicated psyche of America, but as a mature woman grateful for the blessings and lessons of having been born a  Berliner and an opportunity to see what the city might hold for me now. As a grown-up, as an artist.

Recently, I started working with an art coach again. A few years ago I had enlisted the services of Renee Phillips,  the "Artrepreneur Coach" and founder of Manhattan Arts International as well as regular contributor to Professional Artist Magazine. She helped me focus and clarify my goals, gave advice about  my artist statement and website, made introductions and generally helped me step it up a notch. We are still in touch and I look forward to reading her columns, newsletters and online posts.

This time I wanted to work with someone familiar with the LA art market. Several of my studio mates have been working with Yoram Gil and highly recommended him. Yoram has been an artist, framer, gallery owner (in Beverly Hills, no less) and now a private art dealer with an international artist roster.

Art coaching services are not cheap but I consider them an investment in myself and making my work a priority. One of my goals is to find a market and exhibition venues for my non-commissioned work as I create series of paintings that are very personal  and meaningful to me. I wanted an honest un-biased opinion and Yoram does not hold back! He affirmed my assessment of what constitutes good work among my pieces and what needs to be put aside:) His personal studio visits also include advice on my display area, framing and hanging.

AND it includes homework! I had to pick several not-so-great paintings that I was ready to let go off...meaning that I was ready to destroy! Not an easy task but actually quite liberating as I have been wanting to clear out "old stuff" (which should always be referred to as “earlier work”) anyway. My assignment was to tear up a painting and collage it over another one in order to create a new piece. You can read more about this scary yet freeing exercise and see the result here.

I just had my second session with him and to say I'm excited about the future is an understatement. While he liked the abstract piece created from the exercise he LOVED my new series exploring the theme of walls (those imposed upon us by others and those we erect ourselves). As a native Berliner, this theme has always been running through my life but is also a universal one to which most people can relate. Going forward this is what I will be spending my time on in between paid commissions.

When I told him what my goal was for the series he said it was not large enough! I won’t go into details here yet , but I thought it was quite a lofty goal already!  He said I should aim much higher and he’ll help me do just that. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt to have someone with his expertise tell me I was selling myself short! He has some amazing ideas and I will follow his advice even when it scares the hell out of me, because his vision is ultimately where I wanted to go all along but thought I was not yet ready. 

Part of his advice includes not showing any pieces of the new body of work until the whole series is ready to be unveiled in an exhibition and certainly not have any up for sale! So….I have taken the Berlin Wall paintings off my website for now and won’t be posting any new ones online anywhere until at least late next year. This made me want to hyperventilate! In part because I just entered them into a show (but have not heard yet if they’ll be accepted) but also because I worked so hard to create a presence on social media regularly posting new work. My postings will be restricted to portrait commissions and work not intended for the series and it will be very hard to keep the others a secret! I won’t even show them during Open Studios!  But I’m excited beyond words about the goals Yoram has for me and will trust his guidance. If all goes as planned 2015 could be a most terrific year!

So, are you thinking about hiring an art coach to propel you forward? Here are some things to consider.

Tips for working with an art coach:

• Do your research! There are a lot of people out there trying to make a buck off artists, knowing how desperate we are trying to make a living at what we love.
• Get references
• Google the coach (type in the name + feedback or +reviews)
• Interview him/her to be sure it's a good fit
• Know beforehand exactly what all of the fees are and what you will get for your money (is coaching done over the phone or in person? One on one or in groups? Does it include help with writing an artist statement or bio? Will he recommend suitable galleries? Does she have connections to gallerists, art consultants, designers and is willing to introduce you?)
• Once you have the right person, be sure to trust their guidance and follow their advice. You can always change course again later if you don't think it's right for you, but remember that you hired this coach for a reason. It reminds me of the definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If what you have done up to this point has not brought you the desired results , then try to let go of the reins for a while and let someone else show you another way.
• Do whatever homework, tasks or exercises the coach prescribes even if it is far removed from your usual work. Read about my homework of tearing up one painting and washing off another here.
• Have a list of questions and topics you want to address ready before each  meeting so you can use your time wisely.
• Make lots of notes during your sessions! Often we think we will no problem remembering something, but believe me you’ll be surprised how much you forgot when you re-read your notes later. I keep a separate sketchbook just for the coaching and my personal art goals and ideas. I browse through it regularly to keep me on track or make changes.
• Have thick skin! Artists have to be able to handle rejection and harsh criticism. DON’T take it personally, LEARN from it! This does not mean  their word is the final one, but a chance to consider what they’re saying.

Benefits of working with an art coach:

• A good art coach will help you define your goals and aspirations and the steps to achieve them.
• Honest feedback and constructive criticism. If your coach thinks you are reaching too high at your current ability level he will tell you and help you define more achievable intermediate goals  in the process of making progress towards your ultimate dreams.
• They don’t have to personally like the art you create! While it’s helpful if they are enthusiastic about your work they really just have to see the potential in it to realize your dreams.
• He will help you see yourself in a new light! We know what our family, friends  and clients think of our work, and we may even have artist peers who have given us critiques and pats on the back but the chance to have an outsider with extensive knowledge of the art business take a look with fresh eyes is invaluable. They may see something in you or your art that you never thought of.
• Feedback on your website, portfolio, marketing material, business cards, artists statement, etc.
• Branding. Since an art coach should be an outsider (not a friend of yours!) who is new to your art they will be able to give you their first impression of you and your work. Are you projecting the image you want? Does your art relay the intended message? Who is your target audience and are you reaching them?

If you have any personal experiences you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment below.