I have to admit that every time I see a moose of any sorts I sing that silly camp song "A moose, a moose, swimming in the water!" in my head. And sometimes not in my head. It's a nostalgic melody that plays the rest of the day, and despite me trying to convey the nostalgia to my husband as I hum that crazy song, I am alone in the sentiment. He has no idea what song I am talking about, and I've forgotten all the words expect for that one line.

I feel like I am in a stage with my art right now where my works are definitely my own, but I'm feeling ready to embark on a grand journey of change and I can't decide which of the roads to take. These changes happen to an artist work during their life I've found. Unconsciously or not. Sometimes I like to be aware of the change, sometimes not; sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's not necessarily for the better, but it all works out eventually.

I've been pouring over lots of other artists' work lately, both from the old masters and my contemporaries, because if I am ever in a slump, not knowing what to paint, or not fully appreciating what art can be, or, like I mentioned earlier, looking for a bit of a change, I always open my art books. I love the ones that are primarily "picture books" with a little bit of history or interpretation; you know, the books with the BIG pictures in full color from the masters that tempt you to take the picture from the book and hang it on your wall (which I have yet to do! But I'm tempted daily.)

Recently, Mr. Nightingale and I have been into this thing where the best idea of a date is a cheap drive through (dollar menus are extraordinary!) and a used book store, because Chicago has a pretty great number of them. I'd been hunting for two books in particular, a Mary Cassatt book and a John Singer Sargent book. In the end, Chicago's used book stores delivered(!) and now I'm ready to order more copies because these books are worth more than gold to me!


I want to share not only those two books I was hunting for, but a few of my other favorites, too! I don't own them all personally . . . yet, but my birthday is coming up! but I have explored their beautiful pages a few times in other artist's studios. They are definitely on my to-buy list, and should be on yours too! These books are eye candy to artist and non-artist alike! They will not disappoint!

I remember thumbing through my clothes in my closet as a little girl, counting the number of t-shirts and jeans that had remnants of oil paint on them. (It was exciting and saddening at the same time.) I don't remember exactly how many there were, but I'd guess more than half had paint on them. Those were in addition to my box of "painting clothes" specifically reserved for painting; those reserved painting clothes were covered in so much paint they could be works of art themselves. To be honest, my clothes weren't the only thing in my house I left my paint tracks on. The floor, chairs, rugs, my cat (he jumped on my palette occasionally,) my sister's clothes, random things in the kitchen . . . there was sure to be paint on them somewhere. The more I think about it the more grateful I am to my parents for letting me paint so young.

I'm not alone in my oil painting messes; other artists and friends wanting to paint will say to me, "I used to paint with oil, but I switched to something a little less messy," or "I would love to oil paint, but I'm just worried about the mess." It's a wild and crazy medium, but I just think it is too beautiful to not work with. After painting for a number of years, ruining too many clothes and things, and having some fabulous teachers be great examples of cleanly painting and well kept workspaces, I have discovered some helpful ways to paint with cleanliness. Often times, I now paint in my nice, day-to-day clothes with confidence that I will walk away paint free. Here are ten tips to help avoid a mess:


1. Paint in the right area. A tidy studio or painting area is a huge factor in staying clean when you paint. I rarely paint over carpet or near furniture that I don't want ruined. No matter how much I trust myself, accidents happen. If there isn't that perfect place to paint however, like my tiny, shared dorm room my freshmen year of college, I make sure to have a wipeable surface completely clear of anything but my painting supplies, and put an old sheet or drop cloth below me.

2. Keep a paper towel in your non-dominate hand at all times. I keep a paper towel in my left hand while I paint (I hold the brush with my right,) or at least sitting between my palette and painting. This helps me to not only wipe my brushes between colors, to keep the color on my painting fresh and clean, but to keep thick wet paint from getting somewhere I don't want after I am done using that brush for a moment. An old phone book with the cover torn off is another great "brush wipe area" to have right next to you. The paper is absorbent, and they you can just tear the pages off as they get too filled with paint.*