Musings about art and writing supplies.
This is a bit of an unformed series of thoughts that I ve been having. Last year my perimenopausal symptoms hit a tipping point- I couldn t sleep. I had a month where I got maybe 2 or 3 hours of sleep per night. My brain was one giant fog and my memory was shot. Let s not [ ] The post Balance, Perimenopausal Musings, and Mental Wellness and Exercise first appeared on Comfortable Shoes Studio .
I have this debate with myself on the regular and here are my current thoughts: Lightfastness is important in works that will get sold or be shown. Lightfastness is unimportant (to me) in my art journal and sketchbook. There are no absolutes when it comes to lightfastness and materials. Even professional paints have fugitive pigments. [ ] The post Is Lightfastness Important? first appeared on…
My vacation has ended in an unexpected yet somewhat expected manner. Our little dog, Flash, who was simultaneously the best and worst dog ever*, passed away. He was somewhere between 16 and 20 years old and I d always suspected that he was older than the minimum age the rescue had suggested. Anyway, the last time [ ] The post Are These Materials Lightfast? first appeared on Comfortable Shoes…
Youtube fed me a million and one videos about the Arrtx watercolors over the last month. I know this is because Arrtx is heavy into getting their products into the hands of influencers and youtubers. I am unsure what their review terms look like but given that the reviews and videos all premiered around the [ ] The post Review-ish: Arrtx 24 color full pan Watercolor set first appeared on…
I have been searching for the perfect commuting bag for awhile. When I was in grad school I happened upon the Osprey FlapJack version 1. At 21l it was great for my needs at the time. BUT as I have become more of a working artist I needed something a little bigger. Plus I had [ ] The post The Quest for the Perfect Art and Commute Bag first appeared on Comfortable Shoes Studio .
One of the many things that has made this Unofficial Artist in Residence work has been that I do not go every day. I don t pressure myself to do the art thing every single day. I know that for myself, daily challenges that put pressure on me to do a thing EVERY single day lead [ ] The post Skipping a Day first appeared on Comfortable Shoes Studio .
The algorithm has me in it s clutches. It knows what I like. It knows what I ll impulse buy. EVERYTIME. I impulse bought then waited for almost 2 weeks for my package to arrive. Inside were 4 packages of SeamiArt thematic watercolor sets. each one unique- skin, morandi, candy, and ocean and forest. Each set has 12 [ ] The post Review-ish: Seami Art Themed 12 Color Watercolor Sets first appeared on…
At the very end of my senior year of High School my English teacher invited a local artist in to speak to the class.* He was a local photographer, who I had seen around school events and around town. In 90s standards he was an odd fellow, not creepy just odd.** Anyway, he brought in [ ] The post The Sunset Might Seem Like the Most Interesting Thing…. first appeared on Comfortable Shoes Studio .
When I was in grad school learning how to be an art therapist, Kabat-Zinn s mediation methods were introduced to me. As someone who identifies as non-spiritual, I liked that it made meditation more approachable. His methods made a connection with the breathing and thought exercises I was introduced to when I was very young. I [ ] The post Art as Meditation first appeared on Comfortable Shoes…
When I was a young beginner artist there were 3 classifications for watercolors and pretty much all other paints- children s, student or classroom, and professional. Professional were the best. Student was generally close to professional grade with more filler and less pigment. Children s was well, a crapshoot of non-toxic pigments and fillers. Then came the [ ] The post Watercolor (and other…