Color & Design
In 2024, I lost my mom and oldest brother. When Mom passed in June she was over 100, so I felt prepared. But Joe died on his 75th birthday, December 23rd, and I was not prepared. Some things you just don’t see coming.
In 2025, I needed to focus on my health (in between painting and teaching). So I’m four weeks into recovery from a hip replacement and apparently I’m an impatient patient. The surgeon advises “slow down.” So I’m typing r e a l l y slowly.
I did manage to create two new “dream paintings.” You can’t make this shit up, it just bubbles up from someplace deep…
In 2026, lots of exciting things are in the works…
2026 ARTFUEL ONLINE COLOR CURE COURSE
During my recovery from the hip surgery I watched a lot of baking shows on TV and was impressed at the vast knowledge of the amateur bakers in the competitions. They understood the art and science of baking (dough lamination, caramelization, tempering chocolate, kneading, folding, blind baking, docking) in the same way I want students to understand art-making (movement, emphasis, value, saturation, temperature, opacity, transparency, dominance, balance, unity, hierarchy).
We saw a lot of breakthroughs teaching the Color Cure in Italy, Santa Fe, Scotland and Mallorca this year, and there’s no greater reward than seeing artists make new discoveries and gain mastery over color.
In January we’ll teach that same course online for those who couldn’t join us. The Color Cure is a deep dive into understanding and using the components of color. Learn more and hear Terri and me talking about the Color Cure HERE.
If you have any questions, you can join us for a live call on January 9th at 1pm EST. We’ll answer your questions and give you a little tour of the course and content. You can register for the call HERE. If you register, a recording will be emailed to you so no worries if you miss it.
2026 IN-PERSON ARTFUEL COMPOSITION LAB RETREATS
There are so many things you have to be proficient in to be a good painter…how to manage materials, when to control things and when to let go, how to draw (for some), how to use color effectively. And last but definitely not least, knowledge of design and composition. For me, this one is essential. What I’ve noticed over the years is that the students who have a background in graphic design or interior design have a leg up on those who don’t. This is because the principles of design are interdisciplinary. Once you understand the concepts, you can see them at work in movie-making, landscape design, and of course in paintings.
Our 2026 ARTfuel offerings are all about composition, so if you think there’s something you could learn that would strengthen your work, please join us! To check out our retreat locations, click HERE.