I met a woman at my art show in mid-October that stood at my booth with tears in her eyes because my art made her feel so happy. She shared a bit about all the crap that she was dealing with in her life, but she said that looking at my art was like therapy for her. It gave her a momentary splash of joy and allowed her to forget about the bad.

As an artist, one of my favourite moments is seeing someone connect with a painting. You can tell when it happens – their body softens, they lean in closer, and for a few seconds, the world seems to fall away. It’s not just about the colours or composition. It’s about something deeper – something that stirs emotion. Art has an uncanny way of reaching places inside us that words can’t touch.

When someone chooses a piece of art to bring into their home, it’s not just about filling empty walls or creating a pleasing décor. Collecting art allows us to manufacture a visual environment for ourselves that stirs certain emotions, memories, or desires. In fact, the process of collecting art can be very therapeutic.

For one thing, you get to live with the art you collect, and this brings calm and joy. Living with art that moves you and being able to see it daily can be very healing. It shifts your energy. It adds life and warmth to your surroundings. But it also adds calm by naturally slowing us down, forcing us to stop for a moment, take it in, breathe. That’s mindfulness – except the artwork is pulling you into the present moment instead of a meditation.

It is also true that every piece of art you choose says something about who you are and what you value. The pieces you’re drawn to often reflect your own emotional landscape. Whether you prefer a serene landscape or a bold abstract painting, that work ‘speaks’ to you because it mirrors your own thoughts, feelings, or memories. This makes collecting art an act of gentle self-discovery, allowing you to externalize feelings and experiences that might otherwise stay unspoken.

Collecting art also supports the artists creative journey, and this alone can be inspiring. Essentially, you’re saying ‘yes’ to their brave choice to make something honest and offer it to the world. As an artist, I feel it is a sacred moment when one of my pieces finds a new home. The creative energy that began in my soul finds renewal in another, creating a beautiful cycle of giving and receiving.

In essence, collecting art is an act of healing disguised as passion. Whether you collect out of love, curiosity, or instinct, the art you live with gives something back – peace, reflection, and joy. When you collect art that speaks to you, you’re not just building a collection – you’re building a sanctuary for your spirit.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Creativity (October, 2025)

As an art lover, you probably know the joy of standing before a canvas, sculpting clay, or sketching the first few lines of an idea. You also know the challenge: Creativity doesn’t always come easily. Psychologists often compare creativity to a muscle – the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.

But with the rise of AI, a new question emerges: If creativity strengthens with practice, what happens when we start letting AI do some of the work?

The answer depends on how we use it.

When AI Becomes a Shortcut:

If we turn to AI as a replacement for imagination – asking it to write the poem, paint the picture, or solve the design problem for us – then we risk weakening our creative ‘muscles’. Just as going to the gym but letting someone else lift the weights won’t build strength, outsourcing all of our creative heavy lifting to AI can leave our own capacity underdeveloped. Over time, this could turn us into consumers of creativity rather than its active creators.

When AI Acts as a Stimulus:

But that’s not the whole story. When used thoughtfully, AI can actually strengthen creativity. Why? Because the human brain thrives on unexpected input. Imagine feeding an AI phrase, an image, or a theme and then watching it generate a surprising interpretation. Suddenly, you have raw material to react to, reinterpret, and reshape. Psychologically, this process engages cognitive flexibility – the ability to see from new perspectives and make novel connections. This is at the very heart of creativity. By forcing us to evaluate, transform, and give meaning to AIs suggestions, we are still actively practicing creative thought.

The Psychological Upsides and Downsides:

Like most tools, AI’s psychological impact cuts us both ways. On the upside, it lowers creative anxiety, helps overcome perfectionism, and makes it easier to get started – removing the intimidating ‘blank canvas’ problem. This can encourage people to practice creativity more often.

But on the downside, it can also trigger self-doubt. If AI can make a stunning image in seconds, some artists may feel their own creativity is less valuable. Left unchecked, this can discourage practice and erode confidence – both crucial for creative growth.

The Balance Point:

From a psychological perspective, AI is best thought of as a training partner, not a substitute. If it does all the work for you, your creative muscles won’t grow. But if it pushes you, challenges you, and helps you experiment beyond your comfort zone, it can actually make you stronger.

Final Thoughts:

AI won’t replace human creativity – but it will change how we exercise it. For art lovers and artists alike, the key is to use AI as a spark, not a crutch. When we treat it as a collaborator that provokes new ideas rather than as a replacement, we keep practicing the essential skills of imagination, flexibility, and meaning-making.

And that is where true creativity lives – not in the output of a machine, but in the uniquely human process of turning inspiration into art.

What Your Favourite Colour Says About YOU (September, 2025)

We all have that one colour we’re drawn to – whether it’s in our wardrobe, on our walls, or even in the little details we notice in the world around us. But could your favourite colour actually say something about your personality or mental state? Many people believe so, and research in psychology suggests there may be some truth to it.

While colour preference isn’t destiny, it can act like a mirror, reflecting values, moods, and even cognitive strengths. Here’s what your go-to shade might reveal about you:

Blue – The Calm Thinker: People who love blue often value peace, trust, and stability. Blue is also linked to improved focus and problem-solving. In one study, exposure to blue boosted performance on tasks requiring creativity and sustained attention (Mehta & Zhu, 2009). If this is your favourite, you may be steady, reliable, and at your best when things feel calm and clear.

Red – The Passionate Doer: Bold and energetic, red lovers are often associated with leadership and determination. Psychologically, red increases alertness and attention to detail (Elliot et al., 2007). You might thrive under pressure, chase challenges, and bring intensity to everything you do.

Green – The Balanced Nurturer: Green is the colour of growth and harmony. Studies show that exposure to green environment can reduce stress and even improve reading comprehension (Mahnke, 1996). If you gravitate toward green, you likely value balance, empathy, and emotional wellbeing – for yourself and others.

Yellow – The Optimistic Creator: Yellow radiates positivity. It’s commonly linked with creativity and resilience. People drawn to yellow often bring a sense of curiosity and hope to whatever they do. Research also connects yellow with optimism and divergent thinking (Hemphill, 1996).

Purple – The Visionary: Purple blends the calm of blue with the fire of red, symbolizing imagination and intuition. Historically tied to wisdom and spirituality, purple lovers are often deep thinkers who see connections others miss. You may be creative, reflective, and open to new ideas.

Black – The Independent Strategist: Black is often misunderstood – it’s not just about mystery, but also strength and independence. Psychologists link black preference with self-control, sophistication, and boundary-setting (Wright, 1985). If you love black, you may be strategic, resilient, and comfortable walking your own path.

White – The Clear-Minded Organizer: White suggests simplicity and fresh starts. People who favour white often seek clarity and order in their surroundings. If this is your colour, you may thrive when life feels organized and uncluttered.

Orange – The Adventurer: Vibrant and sociable, orange lovers often thrive on energy and connection. Research suggests orange is stimulating and linked with enthusiasm and adaptability (Valdez & Mehrabian, 1994). You might be the type who embraces change and brings others along for the ride.

Although your favourite colour won’t define your entire personality, it can reflect the values, emotions, and mental states you feel most at home in. Think of it less as a rigid label and more as a little insight into what energizes you, comforts you, or inspires you.

After all, colours aren’t just things we SEE – they’re feelings we live with every day.

Three Techniques Artists Use to Convey Emotion (August, 2025)

Many of us have experienced emotional stirs from looking at art. A piece may make us feel calm, angry, or claustrophobic. And this is exactly what the artist is striving for – to make the viewer feel something.

I wanted to explore this more deeply and investigate what techniques artists use to create artwork that expresses their emotions.

Maybe the most obvious way that artists express emotion is with their subject matter – a happy artist might paint a vibrant flower under sunny skies and a sad artist may paint a wilting flower under dark skies.

I’m not going to dwell further on this kind of obvious emotional expression. Instead, let’s focus on three more subtle artistic techniques that convey emotion.

Probably the most powerful tool for expressing emotion is colour. For instance, warm colours (red, orange, yellow) often evoke feelings of passion, anger, or joy. Cool colours (blue, green, purple) suggest peace or sadness. When artists use clashing colours or high contrast, this can create drama or tension, while muted or monochrome palettes can make us feel nostalgic and still.

A great example is Picasso’s Blue Period, where he used cool blue tones to express grief and loneliness. I know for myself; my artwork became more colourful during pandemic. Looking back, I think I was striving to not be forgotten, or to be noticed, during a time when everyone was alone.

Texture and brushstrokes can also reflect emotional intensity. For instance, if the brushstrokes are loose and wild, this can express chaos, anger, or excitement, but if they’re smooth and controlled, this suggests restraint and patience. Using lots of heavy texture can add drama and physical presence, while including scratches or rough areas can reflect inner turmoil.

A great example is Van Gogh’s thick, swirling brushwork that reflected his inner turbulence.

Finally, the composition of the artwork, or the way elements are arranged, can impact how we feel. If the space is crowded, this can feel overwhelming and claustrophobic, while open, empty space may suggest isolation or calm. We tend to feel stable if the subject matter is centered, but off-balance arrangements may evoke discomfort.

A great example is Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks – he painted a few figures inside a diner located in a stark corner of a large empty scene to convey urban isolation.

Besides the subject matter, artists clearly have many techniques that allow them to paint what they feel rather than what they see. And when viewers appreciate the finished painting, essentially, they’re looking in a window that allows them to connect with the artists inner world.

So happy painting!

Next month I'll look at what your favourite colour says about YOU!

Art Boosts Brain Health - A Tale of Two Hemispheres (July, 2025)

Let’s discuss the remarkable impact that making art has on the brain. Engaging in creative expression like drawing, painting, or sculpting isn’t just a hobby – it’s a form of brain training that taps into both hemispheres of the brain and strengthens the brain’s ability to adapt and grow.

You’ve likely heard the idea that the left brain is logical and analytical and the right brain is emotional and creative. While this is a bit of an oversimplification, it’s based on real functional differences between the two hemispheres. When it comes to making art, both sides play crucial but distinct roles.

The left hemisphere could be nicknamed ‘The Organizer’, because it uses analytical thinking to translate a concept into a step-by-step execution. When creating art, the left hemisphere would manage planning, sequencing, and fine motor control. It would also help you measure proportions, mix precise colours, or follow a detailed pattern.

The right hemisphere can be thought of as ‘The Visionary’, because it handles visual-spatial awareness, seeing shapes, depth, and relationships between elements. It sparks our imagination and allows us to generate ideas and visualize new possibilities. It also interprets emotion and metaphor, making our work expressive and meaningful.

Art is one of the few activities that simultaneously activates both hemispheres of the brain in a balanced way. For example, as you sketch a face, you might measure distances between features (left brain) while also capturing its emotion and personality (right brain). This coordination builds and reinforces neural pathways between the hemispheres – especially through the corpus callosum, the brain’s communication highway.

When both sides of the brain are in sync, this contributes to an improvement in executive function (attention, decision-making), emotional regulation, and hand-eye coordination. It also makes us more flexible in being able to switch between detailed focus and big-picture thinking.

One of the most powerful ways that art benefits brain health is through neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections throughout life. When you try something new, like learning to paint with watercolours or sketch from observation, your brain is challenged in fresh ways. These challenges stimulate growth in gray matter (important for memory and processing), encourage the brain to adapt to injury or age-related changes, and help forge new habits and patterns of thought.

In fact, art has been shown to promote healing in people recovering from trauma, injury, or cognitive decline, by retraining the brain to process experiences differently. We should all think of art as a long-term investment in brain health, because regularly creating art has been linked to better memory and focus, a decreased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, and enhanced emotional well-being and self-awareness.

And you don’t have to be a ‘good’ artist to get the benefits – the act of making art matters more than the result. Whether you’re doodling, collaging, or painting your dreams, you’re giving your brain a dynamic workout. So, the next time you pick up a pencil or brush, remember – you’re not just creating something beautiful. You’re making your brain stronger, more flexible, and more alive.

Next month, I'll explore the tools that artists use to convey emotion in their artwork.

My Favourite Creations - How & Why (June, 2025)

This month I’m going to share with you which of my paintings are my favourite. I thought I could narrow it down to one, but honestly, I just can’t! So, I will give you my three favourite paintings, in chronological order, and let you know what I love best about each.

I created The Underwater Poppy Party in 2014, and this acrylic has always been one of my favourites. She’s unsigned, because at the time I was barely proud enough of my artwork to hang it on my own wall. She measures 4’ wide by 2’ tall and is currently for sale for $400.

I didn’t set out to create a scene of poppies that danced underwater, but that is what I saw in her when she was finished. I see tall poppies that just poke out of the surface of some water under a perfect indigo sky. In the waves, the poppies are swaying rhythmically, like they’re dancing together.

I painted the background first by using a lot of sprayed water and different colours of thinned paint. Once that dried, I made the sky a pure indigo/cerulean blue in very thick paint to create a strong contrast. Then I painted stems, leaves, and circles, layering the colours to create contrast again.

Although made of only greens, blues, and purples, even in greyscale the contrast is obvious. Likely, this high contrast is the reason that this piece really pops on a wall. Personally, I love the high frequency, short wavelength colours together. So yes, this one was an easy choice to include on my list of favourites.

The next one that I chose is Windy Poppies, a 16” wide by 12” tall acrylic that I painted in 2019. Currently, she’s for sale for $250.

My favourite aspect of this piece is the background – the sky. This is where the perception of movement begins, in the erratic sky with layers of colours over a base of bright green. It could be interpreted as tornadic! Then, in the foreground the flowers are such an incredibly vibrant red, all leaning the same way, adding to the idea of a strong wind. Hence the name, Windy Poppies. I wish I could show you this painting at night, because the colours are still vibrant in the dark.

To paint this piece, I started with the sky and a very wet canvas. For the base, I used bright green and some darker blues. Once that dried, I mixed up some very flowy paint and ‘Pollocked’ some blobs, laying my colours so they got lighter, allowing layers to dry in between. I wanted some green behind my flowers to help make the red pop, and for this I used a suggestion of blades of grass. Lastly, I painted the flower stems, so they arched with the wind. No matter where I hang this one, it draws comments and attention.

Finally, I opted to choose Birches as one of my favourites. I created this piece in 2022 and is one of my largest acrylics, measuring 3’ wide by 4’ tall. This one is for sale for $845.

Just like The Underwater Poppy Party, what I love the most about Birches is the high contrast. And again, even in greyscale, the trees jump at the viewer with vibrancy. But these vertical trees are also interesting because not only are they slightly tangled, but they recede toward the horizon. In contrast to the vertical lines of the trees, there are horizontal rolling hills in various subdued shades of green and blue. These hills emphasize depth, and many viewers report feeling like they can walk right into the forest of birches.

To create Birches, I started by painting the background a uniform grey-blue before painting each of the rolling hills. Then I decided on the width and number of trees for each hill, beginning on the horizon and being sure to end with two of the widest trees in the foreground. To paint the trees, I used horizontal strokes of various shades of grey and continued that all the way down each trunk.

Other paintings that were strong contenders to belong on my favourite list include:

Pretty in Pink (16” x 12”) – I love the spindly stems and the different pinks and oranges together.

Hold Your Breath (36” x 12”) – I love the blades of grass against the background and the simplicity of colours.

Yellow Birches in Fall (36” x 18”) – I love the yellow leaves against the blue sky.

The Winter Dream Tree (24” x 24”) – I love the background and the layered circle leaves.

Pond Scum (48” x 16”) – I love the background and the short wavelength colours.

Yellow Poppies in the Wind (16” x 12”) – I love the grass and the colour of the flowers against the sky.

But I’m hoping that the best is yet to come, and I still haven’t made my absolute 100% at-the-top-of-my-list favourite painting.

I’d love to hear what your favourite piece of artwork is – email me at annekeoriginal@gmail.com.

Next month I’ll explore what art does in our brain. Specifically, how the right and left hemispheres are differentially involved during art, and how this helps with neuroplasticity.

Is Pink a Colour? (May, 2025)

I dedicate this month’s blog to breast cancer awareness, a topic that I associate with the colour pink and the month of May. If you wish to make a donation to breast cancer research, you can click here:

CLICK HERE to Donate to Breast Cancer Research

pretty in pink

I can’t say that I love pink, but it appears in much of my artwork – my logo included. It’s a colour that has many variant shades, more than red, for example, or even yellow, both primary colours.

But curiously, pink isn’t part of our visible spectrum, nor do we have receptors in our eyes for pink. And yet obviously we see many shades of pink.

How can this be???

Let’s start with the fact that light travels in waves that can vary in length. The shortest wavelength that we can see, around 360 nanometers, looks violet, while the longest wavelength that we can see, around 750 nanometers, looks red.

visible spectrum of light for humans

light passing through a prism

Our visible spectrum, or the range of wavelengths that we can see, runs smoothly from violet > blue > green > yellow > orange > red. These are the same colours that we see when we look at a rainbow or through a prism. But just so you know, other species can see light outside of our visible spectrum. For example, snakes can see in the infrared range as they detect the heat of their prey. Bees, on the other hand, can see ultraviolet light, that allows them to see patterns on flowers that we don't.

snake vision

bee vision

But notice that there’s no pink in the visible spectrum. That’s because pink is a non-spectral colour, or a colour that can’t be produced by a single wavelength of light. Instead, pink is created when red light is mixed with violet or blue light, with the absence of green.

Pink = Red + Violet/Blue

There are other non-spectral colours that aren’t in our visible spectrum, like brown, turquoise or teal, olive green, grey, and magenta. Like pink, these colours are created by a mixture of different wavelengths of light.

Brown Turquoise/Teal Olive green Grey Magenta

So far, we know how pink light is created, but the story isn’t over yet. How can our eyes see pink if we don’t have receptors in our eyes for pink?

We’ve known for centuries that our eye has only three types of colour receptors, each maximally receptive to a specific range of wavelengths of light. Some receptors respond maximally when a short wavelength of light (blue) enters the eye; others respond the most to a medium wavelength of light (green); while other receptors are most active when long wavelengths of light (red) enter the eye. So where does pink come in?

Our brain interprets a colour as pink when the receptors for red and blue light are activated strongly, while at the same time, the green receptors are less stimulated. Thus, pink is actually a mental construction. Perceptually, pink is very real to us, even if it does not exist as a single wavelength in nature. And this is why we all would agree that pink is definitely a colour! Silly question!

‘OLO’

Scientists discover a new colour!

Related to how our brain processes colour, AND in the news last week – researchers discovered a new colour that they called ‘olo’. Apparently, it looks like a very saturated blue-green. Unfortunately, this colour doesn’t exist in nature, so you and I can’t just go somewhere and see it for ourselves. In fact, it required special technology to create it. Normally, when green receptors are activated, they also somewhat activate either the red or the blue receptors. But scientists were able to activate the green receptors alone, bypassing the red and blue receptors. This created a pure signal to the brain from the green receptors, and perceptually, those who experienced it, said it was a colour they had never seen before. Interesting! And it shows how the colours we see are determined by our brains’ interpretation of incoming light signals.

Why Buy Art? (April, 2025)

As an artist, I rarely buy art. In my home, after my own art is hung, most of my surplus wall space goes to pieces that I inherited or that were made by a friend or family member.

Mimi's owl

Linda's sunflowers

daisy painting from Opa & Oma

Opa's drawing of crystal

The few pieces that my husband and I purchased were because of a personal connection – an iron bicycle or a small painting of the Grand River – since we love cycling and kayaking.

Another time while antiquing we came across an artist proof piece by A.J. Casson, and it was reasonably priced, the frame slightly dented. Although we still love that painting, we bought it as an investment.

A.J. Casson 'Opeongo River'

But as an artist, I wanted to learn what would motivate someone to buy art. My research identified 4 reasons:

1. Transforms spaces – Hanging art can enhance any space, adding character and atmosphere. It can influence mood, bring beauty, and allow people to express their personality and tastes, much like the iron bike in my home. Businesses use art to create a certain sophistication while setting the tone of a room. It can serve as a focal point that sparks conversation and inspires meaning into a space.

2. Increases psychological wellbeing – Scroll down to look at my February blog titled ‘The Psychological Benefits of Art’. You'll see that there are 10 different psychological benefits of doing art. In no particular order, these benefits include: decreasing stress, increasing emotional wellbeing, improving self-awareness, enhancing cognitive functioning, boosting confidence, improving mental health, nurturing social connections, creating a state of mindfulness, improving resilience, and making us feel joy. Many of these benefits happen just from looking at art, and are therefore all worthy reasons for having art around you.

3. Investment – Just like my purchase of the Casson, some collectors buy art as an investment, hoping its value will increase over time. The added bonus is that you get to appreciate it while it appreciates (pun intended!). Although the art market is hard to predict, someone who knows what they’re doing can yield significant returns.

4. Supports artists – Buying art directly supports artists and the art community, galleries, and the creative industry. It helps emerging artists continue creating while at the same time, it keeps the art world thriving and buzzing. And sometimes, it can lead to the discovery of unique and valuable pieces.

I suppose what I love the most about the art that I have hanging around my house is that I know I will have it for as long as I want to look at it. And every time I look at it, even if it’s just for a split second, it makes me feel warmer inside.

Finding Inspiration (March, 2025)

The artistic process begins with inspiration – a feeling that erupts when an idea in our head connects with a stir in the pit of our stomach. When I have this feeling, I have more ideas pouring out of me than time or resources to create them all.

But sometimes finding inspiration is difficult, and the ideas don’t flow out of me. I struggle deciding what to create or how to best create it, and the few ideas that I do have are bathed in insecurity as I scrutinize them with my perfectionist eye. Maybe a writer would call it ‘writers block’, but it happens to artists, too. And I know that when I don’t feel inspired, my creative process stops. I’ll share with you three things that I do to find inspiration and get those creative juices flowing again.

The bugs were brutal

#1: Look in nature – No matter what season, on most days I’m outside in nature on a trail that will take me through fields and forests. All my senses appreciate so much that I can do this, not just for the beauty that I can see, but also for what I can hear, smell, and feel. I love looking at the colours in nature – they can be so vibrant that they don’t even look real. Sometimes the beauty around me feels so overwhelming that it brings tears to my eyes.

A very cold day!

My special tree in summer

I have always felt a special connection to trees, and they often appear in my art. For instance, I had one special tree along one of my usual walking trails that had a pattern on its bark that looked exactly like an eye. Every time I went there, it looked as if the tree was greeting me on the trail.

My special tree in winter

I had another special tree further along the trail that I used to take photos of every time I went by. It was just a small thing when I started, and maybe I wouldn’t have even noticed it except that it had a bird house beside it. For each photo, I tried to make sure that my feet were positioned in the exact same spot so I could one day put all these photos together. It was a few years later that I noticed that it was actually two trees, not one. Imagine that! How it took me so long to notice I’ll never understand.

So yes, I can find inspiration in trees and other beauty in nature. Maybe it isn’t trees for you. But whatever it is that you love studying or photographing, or whatever brings you positive feelings inside, being around that ‘thing’ can make you feel inspired.

#2: Look at other art – Speaking as someone who just joined Instagram (@annekeoriginal), wow, looking at other art can definitely get the creative juices flowing. But Insta is just my latest tool for viewing other art. Seeing art live can be very inspiring, by visiting a museum or a gallery. I like to study the brush strokes and look at the piece from different angles. And if it’s a large piece, seeing it live is the only way to appreciate the size of it.

Some famous artists in history that have inspired me include Vincent Van Gogh, Maude Lewis, and Gustav Klimt.

Vincent Van Gogh

Maude Lewis

Gustav Klimt

Artists today that I particularly enjoy include my very own aunt, Anneke Dekker. She is incredibly talented in so many domains – fashion design, painting, mixed media, sculptures, jewelry, pottery, and fibre art, just to name a few. I could spend hours looking at her work, as she is exceptionally gifted with colour and texture. Also inspiring to me is Joan Fullerton, an abstract artist. I especially love her mixed media work, and how some of it is three-dimensional. Finally, I adore the paintings of Jennifer Lommers with her bold colours and circles. To me, her style is simple and happy, something I try to convey in my own art. I never get tired of looking at her flowers and birds.

Anneke Dekker

www.ankoarts.com

Joan Fullerton

www.joanfullerton.com

Jennifer Lommers

www.jenniferlommers.com

#3: Make time for art – This last one abides by the principle that yes, sometimes we feel inspired on the inside and this leads to creation on the outside. But the reverse is true too: Sometimes we create on the outside and this leads to feeling inspired on the inside. In other words, allowing yourself to play and learn every day can alone ignite that feeling of inspiration that will spawn other projects. And because of this, giving yourself that time every day should be as much of a priority as brushing your teeth. Although every time you do art you may not be creating a masterpiece, it’s all contributing to that fire in the pit of your stomach that drives you. Personally, I have many ongoing art projects, and this allows me to dedicate as much or as little time as I can every day.

I hope some of my tricks can work for you, or you can find your own source of inspiration. Happy creating!

The Psychological Benefits of Art (February, 2025)

Thank goodness we live in a time when we can discuss mental health more openly than ever. From these discussions, we’re learning that many of us are suffering, and this number is only going to increase as our population grows. It makes sense to think not only about how to help those people who are struggling, but also how to prevent them from needing help in the first place.

The option of professional help is available, and it would start with a discussion with your family doctor, or a call to a crisis line. But if we want an alternative that is not only effective at improving mental health and preventing problems from developing, but is also easily accessible to everyone, very cost effective, requires no expertise, and takes only minutes a day, then let’s look at ART!!!

Yes, engaging with art, whether it is through creating or just appreciating another’s work, gives us many psychological benefits. We’ll look at 10 of them here:

1. Decreases stress

When we’re stressed, our body’s natural coping strategy is to release cortisol, which helps energize us and prepare us for dealing with the stress. In small doses, this is fine. But if your cortisol levels stay high for extended periods, this is when it starts impacting your mental and physical health, and can contribute to anxiety, depression, as well as heart disease, cancer, and strokes.

Research shows that even just 20 minutes a day of doing art can decrease cortisol levels – things like painting, doodling, colouring, or drawing. There’s something about the repetitive, rhythmic activity involved in doing art that helps calm our minds and bodies.

2. Increases emotional well-being

There are many ways that art helps us with our own emotions. First, it can give us a way to express ourselves when it is difficult to verbalize. If we don’t know how to say how we feel with words, we can show it with art.

But also, creating those images and then being able to stand back and look at them can help us begin to understand those emotions and manage them better. It can help us achieve insight into our own emotions, which leads to greater emotional intelligence.

Finally, art offers us a tool to express ourselves more freely. It gives us a safe space to explore our emotions without worrying about being judged for them.

3. Improves self-awareness

When we stop and think about the meaning behind one of our art pieces, or the process we went through to create it, we’re really engaging in self-discovery. Creating art allows us to explore our inner thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, and this leads to a greater understanding of ourselves and what we’re all about.

4. Enhances cognitive functioning

Research shows that engaging with art stimulates creativity and fosters new ways of thinking. It can improve our memory, problem-solving skills, our ability to focus, and it can help slow cognitive decline in aging. This is best explained if we look at what art does in our brain.

Engaging in art increases neuroplasticity, or our brain’s natural response to make new connections in those brain regions that are most heavily involved in what we’re learning and doing. And there are many brain areas involved when we’re doing art, and all these areas would be building new connections. Some particularly key brain regions involved in art include:

- the prefrontal cortex, which is engaged in complex cognitive activities like decision making, planning, and impulse control.

- the temporal lobes are heavily involved in art, since they process sensory input, are involved in object recognition, and help store and retrieve memories and knowledge.

- the parietal lobes are important for knowing where things are in space, as well as abstract thinking and manipulating visual stimuli, like imagining a short cut or what the couch looks like from the other side.

5. Boosts confidence

When we learn a new art technique or complete a piece that we worked hard on, it can certainly give us a sense of accomplishment and build self-esteem. Being able to finish it well not only validates the idea that we had in the first place, but also our abilities to turn our idea into a finished product.

6. Improves mental health

Evidence shows that doing art can relieve anxiety and depression, as well as help people process and heal from trauma. One way that art could do this is by changing our brain chemistry. For instance, studies show that creating art increases dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter that is released when we experience something pleasurable and rewarding. Related research that focused on serotonin, found that this neurotransmitter can also increase from making or even just seeing art. Interestingly, treatments for depression or anxiety often work by prescribing medications that increase these very same brain chemicals.

7. Can nurture social connections

When you share the art experience with others, whether by making art together or looking at art, it can foster a feeling of inclusion and belongingness and alleviate loneliness. Particularly as we age, maintaining social connections is so important in improving our mental and physical health, and art gives us a tool to do that.

8. Creates a state of mindfulness

When we’re creating or looking at art, we’re focused on the present moment, and this is a big part of mindfulness – being in the ‘now’. We’re not thinking about tomorrow’s meeting or last month’s family reunion; we’re contemplating colours, shapes, and textures. I think of it as a mini vacation for my mind, and research supports this by showing that mindfulness alters neural signaling in the frontal and parietal lobes. Regularly practicing mindfulness meditation is associated with feelings of decreased stress and anxiety, and increased self-esteem.

9. Improves resilience

Art doesn’t always work out the first attempt. It’s a learning process, and we make mistakes. When this happens, we push through and fix it. We adapt and persevere as we’re creating, keeping what is working and redoing what isn’t, often on the fly. This is exactly what resilience is. Knowing that you might make a mistake and despite that, you’re still pushing forward.

10. Can make us feel joy and pleasure

Let’s face it, when we create or look at another person’s artwork, it can make us feel many positive emotions, like joy and pleasure. But beyond that, it can bring a sense of calm, make us feel inspired, or provide a sense of wonder. Art makes us happy, and all of us benefit by feeling these positive emotions.

Well, we just saw 10 psychological benefits of art, and how art can be used as a powerful tool to help people who are struggling as well as prevent problems from occurring down the road. Not only that, but it is a tool that is accessible to everyone, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, nor take a lot of time. So, do some art today – consider it self-care!

My (Long) Journey to Becoming an Artist (January, 2025)

If an artist is someone who accepts payment in exchange for their artwork, then I officially became an artist in October, 2024. On paper it looks like my art career is only months old, but it is something that has been developing in me for over 50 years. Expressing myself through art has always been an integral part of my life.

I inherited a drive to create, as I have artistic genes on both sides of my family. But beyond genetics, deep in my family values is a respect for creativity and making things. We value the imagination, preparation, effort, time, and skill to go from an idea to a finished piece. Whatever it was, it was always appreciated much more if it was something made rather than something bought.

High school art class was mandatory, and it turned me off the idea of formal art training. Although we got to try a lot of different techniques and mediums with Mrs. Ferguson, there were aspects of art class that were stifling and traumatic. For instance, I can remember having to produce art on demand, feeling pressured to be inspired and not having the tiniest spark in me, running out of time, panicking, and then being critiqued for my work by my peers in front of the class. There were many times in high school art class that I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

But I learned enough with Mrs. Ferguson that I could experiment on my own, and my art became very private after high school. It was something that I did for myself to relax and relieve stress. I certainly never thought of it as a career when it came time to decide what I was going to do with my life.

Instead, I decided to study business in university. I didn’t dig deep down, have some personal epiphany, and then realize my calling is business. Instead, I chose it because all my life my mother said that I was ‘just like my father’ (not a compliment coming from her), and he was a successful businessman. But I failed so miserably that I got kicked out of university after only a year.

The next month, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumour and died four months later when I was 20. She only lived to be 43, and she worked so hard doing awful jobs in her short life to save money for my university. And the last she knew of me; I had blown it. I still carry this with me and wish I could give her that time back.

I knew how much she wanted me to go to university and it motivated me to fight my way back in – as a mature student on probation. But I studied psychology this time, something that I chose and enjoyed, and I aced it. It never dawned on me to study art, believing that other than becoming a ‘Mrs. Ferguson’, there was nowhere to go with a degree in art. I committed myself to psychology and earned scholarships all the way to the completion of my doctorate degree. Psychology led me to my husband of now 27 years, as we met in the first week of graduate school and have been together ever since.

woman's face, pencil

woman's face, crayons

Throughout my academic career, I didn’t have a lot of time or money for art. But I accumulated some basic supplies, and art was always there as something I did. In the beginning, I mostly did drawings with pencil, charcoal, or colour pencils. I drew a lot of women’s faces, particularly the right side, which I got pretty good at. But I struggled to make the left side look symmetrical. I practiced shading and blending and turned to landscapes with fields and trees.

woman's face in a vase, pencil crayons

dock on a lake, ink

I think my art changed when I started drawing with thin, black ink pens. I mainly did landscapes and found that I loved aspects of drawing that others would find tedious, like making cobblestones or bricks or blades of grass or individual leaves. It was often the aspect of my work that viewers would point out and seem to especially appreciate. I learned about texture and how tiny dots arranged in different densities can look like shadows. I played with perspective and the horizon and the viewer’s eye level and how this impacts the shape of windows when looking down a street, for example. It was a good learning experience to create form without using colour, and to do it at such a fine level of detail.

sheep in a field, ink with watercolour

mushrooms, fence, and forest, ink

my first painting, oil

I made my first painting in 1994 when visiting my future mother-in-law. We were strangers at the time, and she was so eager to share all her art equipment and to teach me whatever she knew. We drank, we laughed, we shared, and we painted. Just the two of us. From an image I had in my mind, I painted an oil of a large wooden ship coming almost straight toward the viewer against a setting sun sky. I can remember making colours of the wood in the waves, to capture the reflection, and shading the sails so they looked full. I already knew how to blend the colours exactly as I wanted them.

After the boat painting, we each made the same watercolour of a field of daisies. We used some putty to keep the areas where the white daisies would go unpainted while we painted the grass background. Then we peeled off the putty and painted the daisies. Brilliant.

field of daisies, watercolour

Very little painting (and art) happened over the next 20 years with kids and teaching psychology. The little that did happen was mostly watercolour with ink. I don’t remember when I bought my first acrylics, but I know that I started with five tubes – three primary colours plus black and white – and that all painting was done on paper with my same brush from high school.

blazing hearts - the one I chose for their wedding gift

blazing hearts 2

It wasn’t until 2014 that I splurged on gallery wrap canvas, when I wanted to paint something special for my brother and his longtime partner on their wedding. I imagined a field of poppies, but instead of poppies, the tops of the stems would contain hearts. I made a series of these heart/poppy paintings, using different backgrounds, foregrounds, and hearts – all outlined in black, but some were bleeding, and some weren’t. The one that I liked best was their wedding gift. Besides my high school paint brush, I remember using all kinds of tools to make these paintings – a shaving brush, a sponge from a hair roller, and a spray bottle.

It was when I started to develop my own style, and for the first time, I trusted my instincts and let them guide me. I felt the work emerge from inside me as my idea was being expressed in different ways.

loving poppies

bleeding hearts 3

bleeding hearts 2

bleeding hearts

pretty in pink

It was also the beginning of my obsession with circles. If you look at my body of work, most of it is focused on circles and bright colours. I use layers of circles as flowers, for instance, in ‘The Underwater Poppy Party’, ‘Pretty in Pink’, or ‘Rainy Poppies’.

rainy poppies

the underwater poppy party

the dream tree

bubbles

I also use circles as leaves in pieces like ‘Four Seasons’, ‘The Dream Tree’, and ‘The Winter Dream Tree’. And again, I use circles as the focus of paintings like ‘Bubbles’, ‘Pond Scum’, and ‘Diversity’. Finally, ‘Mandala Garden’ contains more circles than any other piece, where I use circles and dots to create a field of flowers.

four seasons

pond scum

the winter dream tree

diversity

mandala garden

I don’t know why I love circles so much or where the attraction came from. To me, circles symbolize continuity and closure. There’s something so simple about a circle, and yet it is one of the most difficult shapes to make – perfectly. That being said, I also love imperfect circles; ones that aren’t exactly compass-round. To me, that’s human nature, and those imperfections are what make something perfect. But I also love the way circles fit next to each other, and how they can be used to fill any empty space. And painting a circle inside a circle is not only the best way to see contrasting colours beside each other, but it’s just like a hug. Maybe that’s the mother-missing part of me; I’m painting a baby circle inside a mother circle.

poppies, peas & daisies

yellow birches in fall

I painted a few other pieces in 2014 – The Underwater Poppy Party and Poppies, Peas & Daisies, and then sporadically here and there as time and money would allow – The Dream Tree in 2016; in 2018 I painted Yellow Birches in Fall and Pond Scum; in 2019 I painted seven pieces, including my largest to date – Dancing Poppies at 4’ x 4’.

dancing poppies

But my painting really took off during pandemic, and my colours got brighter. I was filling up the walls in my house and giving paintings away as gifts to friends and family. I had an inventory of over 60 paintings by the time I decided to show the public through a local art show, the Kissing Bridge Art Tour in October, 2024.

So yes, although it was only a few months ago that I officially became an artist, it is something that has always been a part of me. The difference is that now I’m at a point in my life when I can properly nurture that part of me and give it the chance to fully blossom. Creatively, I have so many ideas that I can’t wait to try – mostly acrylics, but certainly some mixed-media collages as well. I also want to incorporate things from nature in my art, like rocks, sand, sticks, leaves, shells, and seaweed.

Other than continuing to create, in the future, I can envision combining art with what I’ve learned in my years teaching psychology as a way to give back and help others. I know firsthand the positive impact that art has had in my life; how it affects my mood, thoughts, how I think about myself and others, and how anxious or relaxed I feel. To me, art can serve as a temporary vacation for my mind and soul, and it gives me something new to look forward to every day. Quite simply, it makes me happy. I’d love to give others the chance to share in this experience, too.

How To Price Your Art (December, 2024)

Pricing my own art is something I struggled with. How can I assign a dollar amount to something that I poured my soul into, may have lost sweat and sleep over, and love deeply? On the one hand, I don’t want to price my art too high and deter anyone who might be interested, but at the same time, I don’t want to price my art too low and lose credibility in my client’s eyes.

As much as I love my art, my prices can’t be based on that. Ideally, price should be based on objective variables that can be measured, like the size of the canvas or the hours worked on a piece. But truth be told, the artist’s level of expertise is one of the main determinants of price. Artists who have won competitions, shown in galleries, and are well-known in the art world, can price their work higher than those artists who are just starting out and haven’t sold or shown yet.

There are three main formulas used for pricing art, and in comparing them, I have two main goals:

1) To see how the calculated price changes as the size of the artwork increases from 5x5, 10x10, 20x20, 30x30, 40,40, 50,50, and 60x60.

2) To look at changes in price for each formula as the artist’s level of expertise increases from beginner to intermediate to advanced.

But before we delve into the formulas, it’s important to note that you should always do your own research before you begin selling. First, you want to learn about the market you’re selling to, as prices may need adjustments. For instance, prices will be a bit lower if you’re selling at an outdoor flea market instead of at a poche gallery; if sales are low, competition is high, and the economy is poor, you will also want to lower your prices. Second, you want to research what comparable works typically sell for, in terms of size, medium, technique, and skill. You don’t want your price to be too much higher or lower than your competition.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for each formula, you would add on Cost of Materials. Since this would be constant across the three formulas, I’m not including it as a variable in our discussion, but you would certainly factor this in when you calculate your price. Some costs would increase with canvas size, such as the cost of paints, canvas, frame, glaze, and wear and tear on the brushes. Other costs don’t increase as much with size, such as your overhead – rent, power, heat, water; also, costs involved in the planning of the artwork, maybe discussions with clients, or making some preliminary sketches.

Finally, if you sell your work in a gallery, know that they usually take 40 to 60% commission. This means that your price needs to pretty much double for any piece that is on display in a gallery, if you want to get the original price you had in mind for that piece.

As promised, now the formulas. I’ll first explain the variables I used and each formula, and then we’ll do a comparison of all three formulas.

The first formula we’ll label ‘Hour’, because it is a simple hourly wage, calculated as:

Price = # Hours Worked X Hourly Wage

In estimating these values for the sizes of the canvasses mentioned above, I used ChatGPT. For example, I asked ChatGPT how many hours it would take to paint a 20 x 20 canvas, and the range was 15 to 30 hours; for a 60 x 60 canvas, the range was 40 to 100 hours. As such, I took the ‘# of Hours Worked’ as the value of each canvas, estimating a 5 x 5 would take 5 hours, a 10 x 10 would take 10 hours, a 20 x 20 would take 20 hours, and so on.

To estimate the ‘Hourly Wage’, I again used ChatGPT, and asked what a Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced artist would make in an hour in Canada. Again, the answer was a range, and for each skill level I used the midpoint of this range as the hourly wage. Thus, for a Beginner, the hourly wage I used was $20 (range $15-25); for Intermediate it was $37.50 (range $25-50); and for Advanced it was $100 (range $50-150).

The second formula we’ll label ‘Square’, because it is based on the surface area of your artwork as measured in square inches. Specifically, it is calculated as:

Price = [(Height X Width) X P]

The variable ‘P’ represents the price per square inch, and this value increases as the artist becomes more experienced. ChatGPT indicated a range of prices per square inch for artists of different expertise, and again I chose the midpoint of that range as ‘P’. Thus, for a Beginner, the ‘P’ value I used was $1.75 (range $0.50-$3); for Intermediate it was $6.50 (range $3-10); and for Advanced it was $30 (range $10-50).

The final formula we’ll label ‘Linear’, because it is based on the linear sum of the canvas size as measured in inches. To calculate prices using this formula, you would use:

Price = [(Height + Width) X P]

Here, the variable ‘P’ represents the price per linear inch, and again, it increases as the artist becomes more experienced. ChatGPT indicated a range of prices per linear inch for artists of different expertise, and again I used the midpoint of that range as ‘P’. Thus, for a Beginner, ‘P’ was $10 (range $5-15); for Intermediate it was $37.50 (range $20-50); and for Advanced it was $125 (range $50-200).

When I used these values to calculate prices for each of the seven canvas sizes and three levels of expertise, some findings were predictable. For instance, price increased with artist expertise and canvas size with all three formulas.

But one glaring finding was that the Square formula resulted in greatly higher prices (compared to the Hour and Linear formulas) at most canvas sizes and for all artists. And I mean GREATLY.

As an example, an Advanced artist painting a 60x60 canvas could charge $108,000 using the Square formula, but only $15,000 using Linear and $6,000 using Hour. An Intermediate artist painting a 40x40 canvas could charge $10,400 using the Square formula, or only $3,000 using Linear or $1,500 using Hour. These are big differences!

The exception was found with the smallest canvas sizes. Specifically, with the 5x5 canvas, Beginners using the Square formula would result in the lowest price ($43.75), with no difference between the price using the Hour and Linear formulas ($100). But with Intermediate and Advanced artists, using the Linear formula would result in the highest price for the 5x5 canvas ($375 and $1,250, respectively).

With the 10x10 canvas, Beginners again would calculate the highest price using either the Hour or Linear formula ($200) (compared to the Square ($175)), while Intermediate artists would calculate the highest price using the Linear formula ($750) (and lowest with Hour ($375)). Advanced artists using the Square formula get the highest price for 10x10 canvas ($3,000), although this price is close to that calculated using Linear ($2,500), and both are well above Hour. ($1,000)

What does all this mean?

It means that even when we use objective formulas, prices for artwork can vary enormously.

We saw that the Hour formula generally results in the lowest prices. Additionally, some argue that using the Hour formula supposes that more time spent painting means better artwork, and this isn’t necessarily true. On the flip side, we saw that the Square formula inflates prices, especially for Advanced artists. This inflation isn’t as obvious in Beginners, and it disappears entirely with smaller canvasses. Perhaps using the Linear formula is a fair compromise, as this usually results in a price that is somewhere in between the Hour and Square formulas.

Whatever formula you decide to use, thinking about it this way will help you to be objective, clear, and consistent with your pricing.

Objective – your price should be based on measurable numbers, not your heart.

Clear – you should be able to explain how you priced your work and why.

Consistent – your clients want to know that the price is the same for everyone.

Happy painting and selling!

How Do You Know When a Painting is Finished? (November, 2024)

Many artists struggle with this question, having learned firsthand how easy it is to overwork a painting and ruin it.

If you could graph the quality of your painting as a function of the time you work on it, likely it improves up to a point. But after that, continuing to work on it decreases the quality, and now the painting lacks focus and appears lifeless and dull. Just like the gamblers in Kenny Rogers’ song, artists also have to ‘know when to walk away’, and consider their work finished.

quality of painting

time spent painting

So, how do we find that point of perfect quality as we work? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer.

Some artists have an instinct or intuition about the completeness of their work, and they can sense when adding more would take away from the spontaneity and beauty of the piece. They describe how the piece ‘speaks to them’ as they progress, making it easier to decide the moment that they’re happy with it.

Maybe half the battle that we have as artists is trusting this instinct and listening to it. We may be tempted to ask others what they think of our work, but truthfully, we’re the only ones who can decide when our work is finished.

Instinct aside, many artists start with a goal or an idea, and this idea may even evolve as the work progresses. But once the artist sees their idea laid out on the canvas in terms of the emotional tone, atmosphere, and conceptual intention, or the artist feels that they’ve achieved the aesthetic balance of colour, harmony, and composition in the piece, that may mark the completion of the work. In other words, if the artist doesn’t see any obvious way to improve the work, and the goal has been reached, then the painting is finished.

On the practical side, here are 6 things that you can try to help you figure out if your painting is finished:

1. Take a break – put the piece aside for a while and perhaps start something new. You will have fresh eyes when you look at your old work again. Not only that, but sometimes working on a new piece stirs those creative juices again, and these can be applied to your old piece when you go back in after your break.

2. Take progress photos – as you work, take a photo of it periodically. If you are overworking your piece, this will help you learn to recognize the point when you should have stopped. Not only that, but sometimes looking at your art in a small photo can help you focus on the overall composition of the piece, rather than the small details.

3. Evaluate it – objectively and thoroughly. Look at the overall composition of the piece as well as the smaller details and evaluate it for colour harmony and balance. Look at it close-up, from across the room, and by glancing at it quickly over your shoulder, noticing where your eyes travel in each case. Ask yourself specific questions about what you like and dislike about your piece.

4. Rotate it – look at your work at all different orientations, including upside down, or even try looking at it in a mirror. Sometimes seeing it from a different perspective can make whatever problems you’re having with a piece much more obvious.

5. Greyscale it – take a black and white photo of your painting to remove colour from the equation. Sometimes, problems in the overall composition aren’t obvious because the focus is too much on colour. But with greyscale, issues with things like balance, texture, or shading can become much more apparent.

6. Frame it and hang it – pretend that the painting is finished. Sometimes, seeing your work up on the wall in its finished state can slap you in the face with the realization that it is (or isn’t) finished. You could also do this virtually using the ArtRooms app and a good photo of your painting.

Perhaps the bigger lesson is that only the artist themselves can decide when a painting is finished. We may always see ways in which our painting could be improved, and it is easy to get caught up in this and keep working indefinitely. But at some point, we have to trust that those imperfections are perfect, and part of becoming an artist is learning this lesson.

Mother Nature Approved - Cleaning Up After Acrylic Painting (October, 2024)

Although water-based acrylic paint has only been around for about 70 years, it quickly gained popularity for so many reasons.

First, it is extremely versatile since it can be used on almost any type of surface, from paper, metal, wood, plastic, leather, fabric, rock, cement, glass, pottery, etc…

diluted it looks like watercolour paint

Also, it can be applied so that it looks like watercolour - if it is diluted with lots of water, or it can resemble oil paints - if it is used right out of the tube.

used thickly it resembles oil paint

professional artist

It can be used by both experts and beginners, not requiring fancy equipment, dangerous chemicals, or tons of background knowledge to mix and clean up.

beginner artist

Furthermore, it can be combined with many different mediums that change how we see the paint, maybe by making it crackle, sparkle, or look glossy.

Acrylic paint also has the benefit of drying quickly, which means that our painting can be ready in just a few hours after our last brush stroke.

fast drying

Finally, it is super easy to clean up with just soap and water.

But as much as we love acrylic paint, let’s face it, it’s full of microplastics.

Specifically, the main ingredient in acrylic paint are synthetic polymers, which are not biodegradable, like plastics (although some paints are using plant-based polymers that are biodegradable, such as Natural Earth Paint).

microplastics

water

Then acrylic paint also has a solvent, typically water, to turn the polymer into a liquid.

Finally, to give the paint its colour, a pigment is added to the acrylic.

paint pigments

This means that when we paint a surface, the solvent evaporates, and we’re left with a water-resistant coating of coloured polymer attached to that surface.

So far, Mother Nature wouldn’t have any issues with our artistic process.

But if we heavily dilute the polymers by washing our acrylic paint equipment in the sink, we prevent evaporation, and the polymers will stay in their liquid, microplastic state FOREVER.

microplastics are in our food

Because microplastics are so small, defined as less than 5 mm in size, they can pass through our water filtration systems and enter the food chain.

Already, we are finding evidence of microplastics in fish, honey, sugar, fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, and our drinking water.

Initial research suggests that ingesting microplastics may be linked with disruptive endocrine function, reproductive issues, inflammation of the digestive system, cardiovascular disease, cancer, compromised immune function, altered gut microbiome, and a disruption of normal cellular functions.

So as artists, what can we do to minimize our impact on the environment?

solid paint should be thrown in the garbage

The bottom line is that we want all unused paint to go in the GARBAGE and NOT DOWN THE SINK – this means the paint on our palette, our brush, and our hands.

Furthermore, we want this paint to be in SOLID form before throwing it away in the garbage, and NOT LIQUID.

paint should never be washed down the sink

A solid mass of dried paint disposed of in a well-managed landfill that collects and treats any runoff will minimize any environmental impact of our paint.

So, to keep Mother Nature happy, our goal is to turn any unused paint into a solid before throwing it in the garbage.

To eliminate any environmental impact from the acrylic paint that we put on our palette, sometimes it is possible to skip the palette entirely and just put the paint directly on our work. If we use a palette, try to use only as much paint as needed. When we do have extra paint on our palette, we can make it last longer by misting it with some water and then covering it with clingwrap. We could also use that extra paint to practice some techniques on scrap paper, or we could just let it dry completely, peel it off, and put it in the garbage. Another idea is to use disposable palettes, or even freezer paper (shiny side up), and then just put the whole dried palette in the garbage.

We also don’t want any of the paint from our brushes to go down the sink. A great solution is to start by emptying as much paint from the brush as possible onto a paper towel or rag. Some artists save old make-up cleaning cloths or barely touched napkins or paper towels for this very purpose. It helps to use a spray bottle to mist water directly onto the brush to wipe even more of the paint away. And save those paint-filled napkins for now – they can be used again in a later step. Once most of the paint is off the brush, we can use a series of rinsing buckets – the first gets the bulk of the paint that we didn’t wipe away, the second has some soapy water and we can gently massage the bristles, and the third is clean rinsing water.

Now here’s the important part – we don’t dump our rinsing buckets down the sink!

Instead, we wait for it to evaporate, until the bottom of our bucket has a paint skin that we can throw out. If we can’t wait for complete evaporation, we can use those paint-filled napkins to soak up any paint at the bottom and then, once completely dried, throw those in the garbage. Alternatively, some artists pour the remnants into clumping cat litter and then throw it all out as a solid. Another option is to chemically treat and filter your rinsing water so that we separate the pure water from the paint. Finally, during times of drought, we could decide to skip the evaporation process entirely and use our rinsing water to water our houseplants.

Lastly, our hands might have some paint on them, and although it’s tempting to just wash them in the sink, think again. We want to do the same thing again. Use paper towel and a spray bottle to get the bulk of the paint on our hands, or wear gloves. Wash our hands in a bucket and treat that water like your brush rinsing water. We want to make sure that when our hands reach the sink, there is no paint on them.

That being said, it wouldn’t be fair for artists to feel that the microplastics in our food chain are all our fault. In the grand scheme of things, acrylic paint from artists contributes only a tiny spec to the problem of microplastics, and if we really want to make a difference, we should focus on industries that have the biggest impact on microplastics, like plastic packaging, synthetic clothing, cosmetics and personal care, the automotive industry, marine and road paint, and the improper disposal of plastic.

But it’s understandable that any artist inspired by Mother Nature would be motivated to protect and care for her, too.

What is "Art"? (September, 2024)

A difficult question that I have struggled with my whole life.

"But that doesn't look like a flower," someone will say. Or maybe, "My 5-year-old could paint that".

And likely, they're right.

Well, we know that 'art' isn't an exact copy of the physical world. Just look at Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, and Claude Monet. Not all artists produce work that is indistinguishable from a photograph.

Pablo Picasso

Vincent Van Gogh

Claude Monet

Jackson Pollock

Andy Warhol

Maude Lewis

We also know that art doesn't necessarily require special expertise to do. I'm sure many have looked at the work of Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, or Maude Lewis and claimed that anyone could make those works.

We also know that art doesn't have to be something that we enjoy looking at. It could make us uncomfortable, disgusted, angry, embarrassed, frustrated, or afraid. For instance, someone once defecated on a canvas and called it 'art'. Another used dried up, dead human body parts in their display. Many others have used garbage. And they all called it 'art'.

pretend poop on canvas

dried and preserved body

made from garbage

So far, we can safely say what 'art' isn't - it's not an exact replica of the world, it doesn't require expertise, and it doesn't have to be pleasant.

So, what is 'art'? The dictionary very broadly defines it as the conscious expression of skill and imagination in the creation of an aesthetic stimulus.

This implies that for it to be 'art', it must be made with intention and also appreciated for having no function other than it's sensory experience.

Now it's true that many of us agree about what is 'good' and 'bad' art, and this could be because as humans, we all have similar biases to think and see the world a certain way. We have a visual system and brain that collects lines and colours and assembles that raw sensory input into an interpretation of our visual world.

For instance, look at this circle.

If we put a darker patch under the circle as a shadow, now the circle looks more like it is hovering above the page.

But with a different pattern of shadow, now the circle changes from looking two-dimensional to three-dimensional.

It might be tempting to predict that these biases in how we process our visual world would lead us to all appreciate the same type of art. And yet we don't all like the same art. Why not?

Well arguably, one thing that all art has in common is that it makes us think and feel. Maybe each of us is drawn to the type of art that stirs something inside of us, elicits new questions, makes our guts tighten or melt, or makes us feel sad, relaxed, or happy. We like shapes or colours that remind us of something or bring a faint memory to center-stage. Some pieces make us want to look longer and closer. Maybe 'art' is the oldest and most ultimate way that we have of interpreting how another views the world.

And this can explain why, despite our similar ways of processing raw sensory information, different people like different art.

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