This really came together, Beth! I really like the shading of the background colors, especially how the clouds and purple mountains appear. I can see why you like the Burnt Sienna and it really pops against the shaded yellow. Explaining the process, too really helped us to see how you got there. It seemed quite intimidating! I'm glad you stepped in and blended some of your processes as well. This was a treat to watch and so appreciate you sharing. (I would expect those trees to be waving on mountaintops!) Beautiful job and happy 2026 to you, Beth!
Thank you so much, Ron, for your kind words about my paintings. I am pretty happy about the way the mountainscape turned out and was so fortunate to work on art on New Year's Day. So maybe I should tell my daughter that the tree doing "the wave" is completely fine?
The process of creating the second painting, the oceanscape study, was intimidating to me also. I watched the artist's Zoom instructions twice and took copious notes. And I felt that I could do this! But as I was using this artist's steps, my intimidation level went up several notches, and I realized, this is difficult! But, I figured, no loss in trying. I think I will be doing more thumbnail sketches; I really need the practice.
Happy New Year, Ron! I'm looking forward to reading your essays this year.
I love that you spent New Year's Eve/Day working on your art, and the additions you made to your mountainscape turned out so well. The trees and rocks really add a lot. My favorite part of this painting might be that brown rock. It's great that you painted it thinking you were covering up a mistake. Maybe that says something about mistakes. Or not. ha. It's interesting how you painted the foilage on the middle tree by dabbing with a paintbrush. The result turned out beautifully, I'd say.
Lucky you to have a live-in art critic! Does she listen to your advice when you critque her art? I like imagining these dialogues.
The big thing I take away from this essay is how there can be so many steps involved when creating a painting. I had no idea. I envisioned artists sitting down on in front of an empty canvas, feeling inspired, and then painting away. I'm sure this happens sometimes, but I guess not as often as I thought.
Thank you for sharing the evolution of your mountainscape as well as the steps involved with your seascape. How wonderful it must feel to bring in the new year with two new paintings.
Happy New Year, my friend. Can't wait to see where your art and writing take us in 2026. Here for all of it! xo
I so appreciate your comment! Regarding that brown rock, if I didn't make that mistake, there probably wouldn't be a brown rock! So I'd say, hooray for mistakes and missteps!
Painting was such a great way to bring in the New Year. Just focusing on the present was wonderful.
To me, art has proven easy and challenging at the same time. Sometimes, I have to do a lot of thinking and correcting of mistakes, which can be a challenge. But at the same time, some things are simple -- like the foliage on the middle tree being created by simple paintbrush dabs. Also, the distant trees were created by one steady dab at a time with that same paintbrush.
Now, for my live-in art critic. Let's just face it: no two people can always agree. She gives honest critiques, which can sound harsh to my sensitive ears! She used to listen to my suggestions like they were Gospel truth, but no more! She does listen to some of what I have to say, but mostly she gives me constructive advice (I usually ask for her opinion).
We are both very different artists -- she creates photorealistic art, which I cannot do, or have no patience to do. She understands lighting and technical ideas better than I do. I aim for looser art to give impressions of landscape elements rather than make them super realistic. And just when I think she's completely fed up with me, she says, that I have had the biggest influence on her art wise. A nice, unexpected compliment!
Beth, this is such a lovely reminder that growth often happens not through resolutions, but through showing up, experimenting, and letting the work teach us who we are. Wishing you every happiness and continued good health in the year ahead x
Marie, you said that perfectly! For me, showing up and doing the work are so vital. Even when I don't feel like painting, I make myself paint. For me, inspiration happens while I am creating. And I know that, when it comes to art -- or anything for that matter -- I have so much to learn.
Happy New Year, Marie! Hoping this year finds you safe, joyous, and healthy. ❤
Happiest of New Year's Beth! Once again, I love watching your paintings come alive. The original form, the layering and shading -- so unlike and so VERY like writing. Everything starts with an inspiration, that becomes an idea in action, that then becomes nuanced by the constant digging and uncovering of structure, feeling tone, and passion. Passion is the artist's breath.
It's so interesting to me how originally the mountains looked like they were in the forefront of the picture, and then as you added trees and rocks, a sense of distance started to take shape. Suddenly the landscape had depth.
I love your painting and your passion for such. All of your paintings tell stories, both personal and universal. My take away from today's story is that little line of green up the mountain feels like a trail and it's a place I want to visit, a place I'd like to be.
Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate your assessments of my work; they get me thinking more about the process of creation in general and as it relates to art. Yes, I view art as different than writing, of course, but there are so many similarities. I will always remember this line:
"Passion is the artist's breath."
So true. I always admire your passion for the written word -- whether it's putting artistry on paper or on a computer screen. And I'm so glad you see the passion I have for visual art. I really value my viewers' opinions and interpretations of the artwork I create. And I love viewing other artists' work when I am able to.
You have a great eye -- creating depth was a major goal and challenge for me. Creating on canvas can be a type of illusion -- to trick the eye into seeing something as three dimensional or deep, when in reality, of course, it's just on a flat canvas.
I have always felt that there's such power in story. That's a huge reason I like to tell stories with my art and why I so enjoy reading your work in which excellent stories unfold.
As for that line of green, I'm with you! Amen to feeling like hiking up that trail. ❤
Happy New Year, Beth! I’m so glad to be here with you on Substack. I love watching your painting evolve and how you bravely share your process. And it’s great you have your daughter to bounce ideas off and input on your progress. What wonderful mother/daughter bonding. I look forward to seeing your painting progress into the new year.
Happy New Year to you too! I am also so glad our paths have crossed here on Substack. My daughter has a really good eye and helps me. And yes, we have bonded, especially over art. However, sometimes we wind up disagreeing, as she and I are both different types of artists. And her vision and my vision collide. But that's OK.
I am so looking forward to watching you create this next year, and I am looking forward to creating more paintings!
I'm enjoying following along with you as you paint and refine your canvases, Beth. I especially love watching the mountain scene progress and deepen and become more defined. As I've mentioned, I watched my mom painting and composing and refining canvases my whole life, but she never stopped to dissect the process like this. She wanted to escape into the world she was trying to capture with charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, oil, brush, or palette knife, and for her art to speak for itself.
Thank you for bringing us into the studio with you. And may the new year bring you creative respite.
Thank you so much, Robin, for all your support. The mountainscape was so much fun for me to paint, and as you can tell, I enjoy learning new things.
Yes, your mom was a wonderful artist -- very gifted -- and I appreciate that I had the opportunity to see her work. I'm sure watching your mom compose and paint was interesting. She excelled in so many types of media, it's amazing.
Before Substack, I was a blogger on a WordPress platform. However, Substack has allowed me to show my art and discuss my process, so I feel fortunate. As I often say in my newsletter, the process is everything.
Thank you for your wise input. Hoping 2026 is a wonderful year for you.
Beth, I hope you have the best new year yet with your art. Your mountain scene painting is coming along fabulously, and I love the trees you've added, even the "wave" tree! There certainly is a lot to learn in all of the different approaches you are trying. It will really make you a well-rounded artist. Good for you that you also have an art critic living with you. Her comments certainly are helpful, I am sure. It's always great to have a second set of eyes on something. They may see things you hadn't noticed.
Thank you for the great art-New Year's wishes! I am so glad you are enjoying the mountainscape. It was so fun to work on this painting. The "wave" tree was nice in my opinion, but my daughter, who is bluntly honest, said to change it.
Yes, it's nice having a critic in the house. I trust her opinion, although she and I have different opinions about what "good" art is.
I am hoping to become a well-rounded artist, as you suggest. I'm hoping to become as well-versed in art as possible. The good thing is that in art, learning never stops!
Happy new year, Beth! Wow! I love the mountainscape painting. The rocks, the trees, the depth, all of it brings the whole thing to life! I love that you are using different approaches to learn landscape painting, borrow what works, try different things, and that you’re not afraid to adapt it to your preferences. I have a feeling this will be a breakthrough year for you as you continue this experimentation. Those thumbnail and value sketches are very useful, I learned those in a workshop last year and I need to get back to doing them myself!
I’m looking forward to see where 2026 takes you with your art practice!
Thank you kindly, Alene, for the continuous support, and your kind words about the mountainscape painting. You are a role model for me -- I've always admired how you've experimented and tried new things. As you know, with art, one never really masters it, as there is so much to learn, often by trial and error.
I'm hoping this is, indeed, a breakthrough year for me in terms of artistic growth. And I'm looking forward to finding out more about the venues in which you are showing your art.
I'm going to continue with the thumbnail and value sketches and hope I can get better at them. I just bought a grid drawing pad in order to better help me.
Beth, I loved this posting on beginning afresh with new art projects--I love that you took us through the process of turning the photo of the seascape into a beautiful painting--I was fascinated--and especially how you used the proportion tool and selected colors! Like you, I don't like to consider making resolutions for the start of the new year--I have a pretty good idea of goals and objectives I want to make happen and as I go along, I do self-reflect and journal on thoughts and ideas about each creative project. What was refreshing here is to see you actually manifest the initiation of new art projects. I feel like is a tremendous amount of talk about what and how and why--but the truth is, to actually start something is braver and bolder and more concrete--that's why I so admire you because you constantly show up to share your art and your process of self-care! Here's to a remarkable new year ahead for both of us with new breakthroughs and triumphs along the way!
Thank you for cheering me on; it totally buoys me up. Yes, the proportion tool. Well, I used it as best I could, but my daughter had to help me a lot. I think it should be simple, but I found it challenging. During the whole process I felt like I was operating blindly, and I was really uncomfortable. But, as we teachers learned with our students, being uncomfortable is often a key to learning. So I did a lot of self-talk, telling myself that the reason using these techniques felt so alien was because I was unfamiliar with it.
Your self-reflecting and journaling are useful tools that I'm sure you find so helpful. Journaling is a wonderful self-reflection tool.
You are also quite brave -- a few years ago, you started over by moving to Spain. That is amazingly courageous. By doing this, you showed up for yourself, which is most important. And each year I watch you grow by your teaching workshops, continuing with poetry videos, and moving to a new area in Barcelona.
This really came together, Beth! I really like the shading of the background colors, especially how the clouds and purple mountains appear. I can see why you like the Burnt Sienna and it really pops against the shaded yellow. Explaining the process, too really helped us to see how you got there. It seemed quite intimidating! I'm glad you stepped in and blended some of your processes as well. This was a treat to watch and so appreciate you sharing. (I would expect those trees to be waving on mountaintops!) Beautiful job and happy 2026 to you, Beth!
Thank you so much, Ron, for your kind words about my paintings. I am pretty happy about the way the mountainscape turned out and was so fortunate to work on art on New Year's Day. So maybe I should tell my daughter that the tree doing "the wave" is completely fine?
The process of creating the second painting, the oceanscape study, was intimidating to me also. I watched the artist's Zoom instructions twice and took copious notes. And I felt that I could do this! But as I was using this artist's steps, my intimidation level went up several notches, and I realized, this is difficult! But, I figured, no loss in trying. I think I will be doing more thumbnail sketches; I really need the practice.
Happy New Year, Ron! I'm looking forward to reading your essays this year.
Hi Beth,
I love that you spent New Year's Eve/Day working on your art, and the additions you made to your mountainscape turned out so well. The trees and rocks really add a lot. My favorite part of this painting might be that brown rock. It's great that you painted it thinking you were covering up a mistake. Maybe that says something about mistakes. Or not. ha. It's interesting how you painted the foilage on the middle tree by dabbing with a paintbrush. The result turned out beautifully, I'd say.
Lucky you to have a live-in art critic! Does she listen to your advice when you critque her art? I like imagining these dialogues.
The big thing I take away from this essay is how there can be so many steps involved when creating a painting. I had no idea. I envisioned artists sitting down on in front of an empty canvas, feeling inspired, and then painting away. I'm sure this happens sometimes, but I guess not as often as I thought.
Thank you for sharing the evolution of your mountainscape as well as the steps involved with your seascape. How wonderful it must feel to bring in the new year with two new paintings.
Happy New Year, my friend. Can't wait to see where your art and writing take us in 2026. Here for all of it! xo
Hi Nancy,
Happy New Year!
I so appreciate your comment! Regarding that brown rock, if I didn't make that mistake, there probably wouldn't be a brown rock! So I'd say, hooray for mistakes and missteps!
Painting was such a great way to bring in the New Year. Just focusing on the present was wonderful.
To me, art has proven easy and challenging at the same time. Sometimes, I have to do a lot of thinking and correcting of mistakes, which can be a challenge. But at the same time, some things are simple -- like the foliage on the middle tree being created by simple paintbrush dabs. Also, the distant trees were created by one steady dab at a time with that same paintbrush.
Now, for my live-in art critic. Let's just face it: no two people can always agree. She gives honest critiques, which can sound harsh to my sensitive ears! She used to listen to my suggestions like they were Gospel truth, but no more! She does listen to some of what I have to say, but mostly she gives me constructive advice (I usually ask for her opinion).
We are both very different artists -- she creates photorealistic art, which I cannot do, or have no patience to do. She understands lighting and technical ideas better than I do. I aim for looser art to give impressions of landscape elements rather than make them super realistic. And just when I think she's completely fed up with me, she says, that I have had the biggest influence on her art wise. A nice, unexpected compliment!
Beth, this is such a lovely reminder that growth often happens not through resolutions, but through showing up, experimenting, and letting the work teach us who we are. Wishing you every happiness and continued good health in the year ahead x
Marie, you said that perfectly! For me, showing up and doing the work are so vital. Even when I don't feel like painting, I make myself paint. For me, inspiration happens while I am creating. And I know that, when it comes to art -- or anything for that matter -- I have so much to learn.
Happy New Year, Marie! Hoping this year finds you safe, joyous, and healthy. ❤
Happiest of New Year's Beth! Once again, I love watching your paintings come alive. The original form, the layering and shading -- so unlike and so VERY like writing. Everything starts with an inspiration, that becomes an idea in action, that then becomes nuanced by the constant digging and uncovering of structure, feeling tone, and passion. Passion is the artist's breath.
It's so interesting to me how originally the mountains looked like they were in the forefront of the picture, and then as you added trees and rocks, a sense of distance started to take shape. Suddenly the landscape had depth.
I love your painting and your passion for such. All of your paintings tell stories, both personal and universal. My take away from today's story is that little line of green up the mountain feels like a trail and it's a place I want to visit, a place I'd like to be.
Big hugs from your forever friend and fan . . .
Hi Stephanie,
Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate your assessments of my work; they get me thinking more about the process of creation in general and as it relates to art. Yes, I view art as different than writing, of course, but there are so many similarities. I will always remember this line:
"Passion is the artist's breath."
So true. I always admire your passion for the written word -- whether it's putting artistry on paper or on a computer screen. And I'm so glad you see the passion I have for visual art. I really value my viewers' opinions and interpretations of the artwork I create. And I love viewing other artists' work when I am able to.
You have a great eye -- creating depth was a major goal and challenge for me. Creating on canvas can be a type of illusion -- to trick the eye into seeing something as three dimensional or deep, when in reality, of course, it's just on a flat canvas.
I have always felt that there's such power in story. That's a huge reason I like to tell stories with my art and why I so enjoy reading your work in which excellent stories unfold.
As for that line of green, I'm with you! Amen to feeling like hiking up that trail. ❤
Somewhere, sometime, let's meet on that trail. I love this piece and the story it tells through you. Big hugs.
Yes, that would be great! Sending hugs back.
Happy New Year, Beth! I’m so glad to be here with you on Substack. I love watching your painting evolve and how you bravely share your process. And it’s great you have your daughter to bounce ideas off and input on your progress. What wonderful mother/daughter bonding. I look forward to seeing your painting progress into the new year.
Hi Susan,
Happy New Year to you too! I am also so glad our paths have crossed here on Substack. My daughter has a really good eye and helps me. And yes, we have bonded, especially over art. However, sometimes we wind up disagreeing, as she and I are both different types of artists. And her vision and my vision collide. But that's OK.
I am so looking forward to watching you create this next year, and I am looking forward to creating more paintings!
I'm enjoying following along with you as you paint and refine your canvases, Beth. I especially love watching the mountain scene progress and deepen and become more defined. As I've mentioned, I watched my mom painting and composing and refining canvases my whole life, but she never stopped to dissect the process like this. She wanted to escape into the world she was trying to capture with charcoal, acrylic, watercolor, oil, brush, or palette knife, and for her art to speak for itself.
Thank you for bringing us into the studio with you. And may the new year bring you creative respite.
Thank you so much, Robin, for all your support. The mountainscape was so much fun for me to paint, and as you can tell, I enjoy learning new things.
Yes, your mom was a wonderful artist -- very gifted -- and I appreciate that I had the opportunity to see her work. I'm sure watching your mom compose and paint was interesting. She excelled in so many types of media, it's amazing.
Before Substack, I was a blogger on a WordPress platform. However, Substack has allowed me to show my art and discuss my process, so I feel fortunate. As I often say in my newsletter, the process is everything.
Thank you for your wise input. Hoping 2026 is a wonderful year for you.
You, too, Beth!
Beth, I hope you have the best new year yet with your art. Your mountain scene painting is coming along fabulously, and I love the trees you've added, even the "wave" tree! There certainly is a lot to learn in all of the different approaches you are trying. It will really make you a well-rounded artist. Good for you that you also have an art critic living with you. Her comments certainly are helpful, I am sure. It's always great to have a second set of eyes on something. They may see things you hadn't noticed.
Hi Nancy,
Thank you for the great art-New Year's wishes! I am so glad you are enjoying the mountainscape. It was so fun to work on this painting. The "wave" tree was nice in my opinion, but my daughter, who is bluntly honest, said to change it.
Yes, it's nice having a critic in the house. I trust her opinion, although she and I have different opinions about what "good" art is.
I am hoping to become a well-rounded artist, as you suggest. I'm hoping to become as well-versed in art as possible. The good thing is that in art, learning never stops!
Happy new year, Beth! Wow! I love the mountainscape painting. The rocks, the trees, the depth, all of it brings the whole thing to life! I love that you are using different approaches to learn landscape painting, borrow what works, try different things, and that you’re not afraid to adapt it to your preferences. I have a feeling this will be a breakthrough year for you as you continue this experimentation. Those thumbnail and value sketches are very useful, I learned those in a workshop last year and I need to get back to doing them myself!
I’m looking forward to see where 2026 takes you with your art practice!
Thank you kindly, Alene, for the continuous support, and your kind words about the mountainscape painting. You are a role model for me -- I've always admired how you've experimented and tried new things. As you know, with art, one never really masters it, as there is so much to learn, often by trial and error.
I'm hoping this is, indeed, a breakthrough year for me in terms of artistic growth. And I'm looking forward to finding out more about the venues in which you are showing your art.
I'm going to continue with the thumbnail and value sketches and hope I can get better at them. I just bought a grid drawing pad in order to better help me.
Here's to our art in 2026!
Raising a glass to you!
Beth, I loved this posting on beginning afresh with new art projects--I love that you took us through the process of turning the photo of the seascape into a beautiful painting--I was fascinated--and especially how you used the proportion tool and selected colors! Like you, I don't like to consider making resolutions for the start of the new year--I have a pretty good idea of goals and objectives I want to make happen and as I go along, I do self-reflect and journal on thoughts and ideas about each creative project. What was refreshing here is to see you actually manifest the initiation of new art projects. I feel like is a tremendous amount of talk about what and how and why--but the truth is, to actually start something is braver and bolder and more concrete--that's why I so admire you because you constantly show up to share your art and your process of self-care! Here's to a remarkable new year ahead for both of us with new breakthroughs and triumphs along the way!
Hi Gerry,
Thank you for cheering me on; it totally buoys me up. Yes, the proportion tool. Well, I used it as best I could, but my daughter had to help me a lot. I think it should be simple, but I found it challenging. During the whole process I felt like I was operating blindly, and I was really uncomfortable. But, as we teachers learned with our students, being uncomfortable is often a key to learning. So I did a lot of self-talk, telling myself that the reason using these techniques felt so alien was because I was unfamiliar with it.
Your self-reflecting and journaling are useful tools that I'm sure you find so helpful. Journaling is a wonderful self-reflection tool.
You are also quite brave -- a few years ago, you started over by moving to Spain. That is amazingly courageous. By doing this, you showed up for yourself, which is most important. And each year I watch you grow by your teaching workshops, continuing with poetry videos, and moving to a new area in Barcelona.
Thank you again for your unending support. ❤