The Creative Life - Barbara Trovillo

Wipe out!   (Hard to think those words without hearing the opening to the song in your mind? I’m sorry. ) It’s an apropos title for today’s post since it seems that everything I am painting, I am either throwing away or wiping out!   Why?   Good question! The water color attempts were not good. They had to go. The oil painting starts were probably OK. I needed to stop to allow them to dry before I continued painting into them. To be honest, I had too many outside distractions needing my attention. I couldn't get into that creative space in which I can work intuitively. [...]

Every art instructor will tell you the best thing you can do to improve your painting skills is:  PAINT EVERY DAY!    Simple, right? There are periods in your life when that can feel almost impossible! Finding time for an art practice can be a difficult task. Responsibilities often get in the way. A full time job, and family commitments demand our time and attention. If you are having a tough time finding time to paint, check out this blog post by Mary Bentz Gilkerson: https://www.marygilkerson.com/2020/11/finding-time-to-paint.  Mary is a generous and talented artist and teacher. You will find her inspiring and helpful.   Painting every [...]

Emerging Artist   It took me awhile to wrap my head around that term. You see, though I began painting in 1993 and am not new to the world of creating art,  I am new to the business of art.    I discovered my love of painting a year or two before I became the single mother of four children. Unfortunately, I had to find an income and fast! Painting had to take a back seat. I trained in Aesthetics (Skincare) and went to work. I worked for others for 10 years and myself for the subsequent 16 years. All along, I painted and yearned [...]