Life as a Creative Feast

join me in my art studio this year

After three years devoted to my novel, Her Lisbon Colors, I return to a steady love affair with my visual artist. This happened after my first novel, Chasing Sylvia Beach came out: I craved time in this world, reflecting it back on the page in color, line and texture.

Last year, there was a brief period recovering from publishing when I wondered if the artist would ever come back. But in Lisbon, with my sketchbook, my love of color and exploration revived me.

I’ve refurbished Stumbling Toward Genius and refreshed my studio for my artist to take the lead. Here, I’ll share my weekly adventures in my Denver studio and what I glean in my favorite places like Paris and Lisbon.

My intention is to share bursts of color to refresh you like a plump clementine revives your day.

This is what it’s like to be a grown woman AND a happy kid at play. Flowers, coffee, sketchbook, friend, Paris…heaven!

What to focus on?

For my 2026 Creative Edge, I will loosen up my style, using paint more and focusing less on drawing. This was a quote I saw in a book¹ in an Amsterdam bookshop came to mind:

The amateur depicts, the artist interprets.

This lemon was fun to paint; I added salt while it was wet to get the texture of a lemon’s skin. I wiped it away before it was dry. The resulting swoosh of color inspired me. Yes, I thought. Be less occupied with accuracy and more interested in expression.

Lemon or fish?

I’ve been in the studio every day since the holiday break, and every session with my palette teaches me something.

My focus is on foods and florals, mostly fresh food like fruits and vegetables, plants and flowers.

Of course I will continue with my cups series; I am halfway through my second cupsketchbook.

My sketchbook is for process and exploration. I have dozens of sketchbooks that chronicle daily life and travels. I’m less interested in that now, though on travels I will seek to paint the colors and textures of a place as well as the fresh foods.

Mexico, Japan, Paris and Portugal are on my calendar this year and I will deeply immerse myself into their food cultures.

Feasting

I know times are weird, rough, disorienting now. I refresh my resiliency through art and books and movies. I know it seems odd to be focused on feasts now² but that’s how I take refuge and restore my spirit.

One of my illustrated Journey Blessings

I’m bringing my love of painting together in a Paris workshop, An Illustrated Feast. Join me in August to savor French food culture and put it on the page in watercolor illustration. All the details are here.

I’m inspired by gorgeous tutorials in The Watercolor Feast by Erin Gleeson, who is teaching me some fun tricks.

The novel The Artist and the Feast sucked me into a hot Southern France summer. The author Lucy Steeds wrote so beautifully about painting food. I don’t intend to do still lifes per se, but to let myself be absorbed in the miracle of a piece of fruit or a curling leaf.

Join me (virtually) in my art studio

Please enjoy my Stumbling Toward Genius as my artist’s sketchbook. I’d love to hear your thoughts and what inspires you from these online artist studio visits.

What is your Creative Edge this year? I hope you are engaged in your creativity. Our expression is an essential part of our health and vitality, especially now.

Leave a comment below to tell me about your creative edge and what today’s post inspired in you.

1. Oddly, I did not write down this life-changing quotation nor its book. My apologies to the author.

2. Marie Antoinette's “Let them eat cake!” comes to mind. 🫣