My Creativity Blog

Sculptor J. Payne Lara of Navasota, nationally recognized for his talent in sculpting bronzes; small bronzes, large bronzes, and MONUMENTAL bronzes, has added a couple more hats to his hat rack. Alongside his cowboy and artist hats, he now adds those of inventor and manufacturer. Payne has created a new line of products that I [...]

I am are always looking for activities to broaden my horizon, to expand my artistic knowledge. I happened to discover an art supply store in Portland that provides demonstrations on various media for their customers. The best part about the demos is they are free!  You can’t beat that. The name of the store is [...]

Plein Air is derived from the French phrase “en plein air” which means in the open air.  So plein air painting would mean painting outside.  Many artists paint strictly in their studio, other artists like to experience the essence of the area they are painting. When I first started painting years ago, I remember taking [...]

I ran across a handout for a one day workshop to be held Saturday, August 1, at the Portland Art Museum.  The workshop is called “Poetry, Art Becomes Muse”.  I got really excited until I saw that the workshop was only for teen writers, 13 to 19. Guess I can’t go. Too bad!  It sounds [...]

Educators can always use new ideas to implement in their classroom. Art educators in particular seem to always be on the lookout for new and interesting classroom projects. When I was teaching in Texas I got involved with an art organization called Texas Art Education Association. There was a local group in Bryan/College Station. I [...]

When I decided to have a school art show, I didn’t have a clue how to display the student art work. My school had concrete-block walls and acoustical tile ceilings.  Nothing could be taped or nailed to the walls.  The hallways were narrow and therefore freestanding panels could not be used. My budget was pretty [...]

Going to a watercolor workshop or any type of art workshop can be a wonderful learning experience or it can be a nightmare. Workshops are not cheap either. When you pay hundreds of dollars for the workshop, take a week of vacation from work, pay for travel and hotel; it can really add up. So, [...]