• How Do I Love Thee?

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the poet answered in her Sonnets from the Portuguese, “Let me count the ways.” On Valentine’s Day, some of the many ways people shared their love were by sending chocolates, flowers, and cards. Most of us think we are honoring St. Valentine, or at least one of the three third CE saints…


  • SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

    The 2026 snowpocalypse known as Winter Storm Fern has come and gone, at least for the southern states. As I’m writing this, a lone lump of ice remains under the shade of the collapsed carport next to the barbecue area of our condominium complex. I returned from exercising and sat down to visit with the…


  • Interbeing of Cranberry Apple Pie

    Sit a spell. Savor pie. Enjoy the moment. Breathe. You are enough. Enjoy this moment. It won’t come again. I have a recipe for your next cold spell. You can thank me later. Love, Cornelia


  • Emotional Responses to Antique Art

    Sometimes we struggle so hard to paint the image before us—the form, shadows, the colors, and lines—we forget to also paint our emotional response to the subject matter also. In the matter of faith, John Wesley once said, “There have been many in every age and nation, who were almost persuaded to be Christians, but…


  • A Life of Mystery and Hope

    Discover the mystery of weather and art: both challenge us to step into the unknown. Just as Abraham ventured to a land of promise, each artist embarks on a spiritual journey. Seek your guide, nurture your creativity, and watch your artistic ‘wandering Aramean’ spirit flourish. Keep your mind sharp for the long journey of life…


  • HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

    Halloween pumpkins painted in one of Picasso’s artistic styles was the prompt for our day, but our actual mission was to be present for a neighbor in need of a place to rest and recover her sense of self. Art affirms the makers, but we need to put our needs aside for the needs of…


  • Two Types of Color Wheels

    Two lessons using the color wheel: the first is to mix the colors around the wheel. The students who’ve done this exercise before get to mix the same colors, but create an image from their own imagination.


  • Solid Geometric Perspective

    An introductory lesson in perspective and shading using solid geometric objects for determining the skill level of students in a first art class. This lesson allows the teacher to modify the future lesson plans to build on the students’ noted strengths and weaknesses. It also allows for making several levels of the same lesson, if…


  • Weaving a Life Story

    Weaving is a metaphor for our life’s story and journey. We envision the weaver in charge of the colors, designs, and textures of the finished fabric. The weaver’s goal is to produce a beautiful product. We often think we are in charge of our own destiny, as “The Weaving Song” by Carolyn Hester, in which…


  • Learning, Growing and Thriving

    In most adults, learning and thinking plateaus and then begins to decline after age 30 or 40. The old adage, “Don’t trust anyone over thirty” takes on new meaning in regards  to creativity. People after this age start to perform worse in tests of cognitive abilities such as processing speed, the rate at which someone…