This blog now officially lives at the fionaverdouw.com website.
So if you enjoy a regular splash of Fiona Verdouw Art with your coffee – you should read this: … More Join to get some Extra with your Ordinary
It may not plumb the depths of existential reflection, but it makes my Top Ten list of Life’s Great Questions: Why are there always SO MANY socks lying around my house? … More How I turn household mess to my advantage.
Flies. They are noisy and grubby and entitled. As for manners? None. … More What we can learn from Flies: A lesson in task-focussed optimism
At this time of year, it’s eye-twitchingly predictable to write a blog post about New Year’s Resolutions. So I won’t. This is partly because I haven’t made any official resolutions, but I have made a few art-related goals for 2020. I’m not going to list them all for you (because I’ve only made two so … More My Brooklyn Art Library 2020 Sketchbook: A video
Deadlines are not very likeable things – especially when they’re riding your back like people queuing to board a bus in the rain – but over the last fortnight, I’ve learned that they’re marvelous motivators when you need to improve productivity. … More What’s better than a Deadline for Increased Productivity? Ask your Mum.
It takes more than just having a painting up your sleeve to enter art prizes, and the process can be quite time consuming. … More Entering Art Prizes: What’s Involved and Why I Do It.
During times of creative block, a good way to purposefully procrastinate is to seek inspiration through reading. … More Reading to Inspire Creativity – A Book Review
This week I sold my milk cartons painting to a man who said it was the painting that stuck in his memory from my first ever exhibition last year.
He’d taken his time deciding, but now he was sure. … More Milking It: Getting the most out of an Art Purchase
Take a moment to appreciate the earthier things of life. … More Why being grounded is good. (And a new painting).
Recently I wondered how I’d fare painting a still-life – without an actual still-life set up in front of me. I wasn’t going to do it completely blind; I’d paint from reference drawings I’d done of the key objects, but the composition would be plucked from my head. >> Read the full post on my … More How to make like a lemon and just roll with it : Painting from imagination.
During July, my sons have a three week break from school. It’s mid-winter, and the risk of cabin-fever is high. Adjustments to the usual schedule must be made for everyone’s sanity, and – let’s be honest – to prevent scenes that end with someone shouting, “I will throw you through the nearest window if you … More Why I Stopped Painting and Started Drawing : The Art of Flexibility.
