Living life as an artist is not simply about making art; it is a way of being. The practice itself gives the artist a goal—an aim—and the motivation to show up again and again. The true reward does not lie in the finished product. Ask any artist. Most will tell you they never quite know when to stop, when to declare a piece complete. Completion is a question we ask and answer repeatedly, often without certainty. Last spring, during a visit to Descanso Gardens, I felt compelle

Depicting abstract concepts through images is not a novel idea, and images tell stories. After having painted realistic pictures in both...

"And as the morning steals upon the night, melting the darkness...", the sun’s rays never fail to create magic. Even though in his play,...

Aphorisms – those pithy sayings that are not truly descriptions but succinct, word-compacted, meaning-packed one-liners certainly cajole...

The turn of leaves takes me back to my English classroom long long ago, sitting and reading John Keats’ Ode to Autumn written in 1819....

One can read the history of Joshua Tree National Park on many research sites that explore the geography, geology and history of the...

I love reading and reciting Shakespeare. I do not respond to his wit and wisdom cerebrally or get caught up in his universality that...

Emerson wrote, “The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired, so long as we can see far enough.” Swaddled by...

I wasn’t sketching or painting much in my teenage years when I left my hometown for the first time to attend St. Bede’s College. With...

If you are not a fan of the sunny side up fried egg, this watercolor rendition of the matilija may not resonate with the breakfast image....

With retirement came quarantine. Friends and coworkers stated my timing was impeccable but I am ambivalent. Not particularly keen on...

“You have no idea how much you’ve meant to me. Never has any teacher inspired me like you.” At the end of this pandemic-impacted year in...

Tempus fugit. I recently connected with mates from my high school in India, St. Maria Goretti, after five decades. You heard that right,...

Where do I begin? Choosing a subject in plein air painting is almost always a challenge for me. Winding paths, benches under shady trees,...

I wish I could remember the name of the dirt road that led to the little hamlet on the outskirts of Udaipur where I photographed the...

India is a complexity of immeasurable proportions and yet can be simplified in the faint outline of a humble fisherwoman striding...

The desire to sketch and paint the orange roofs of Lisbon, the wine country of the Algarve, and Alvor's tiny fishing villages in water...

The haunting images circulated in the media of caravans of migrants displaced by the pandemic became a de facto deep seated metaphor for...

My hikes along Cherry Canyon are my morning delight, my cup-o-java. Daybreak is the optimal time for a one on one Zoom meeting with the...