Four years ago, I was gifted large boxes of French Tinfix dyes. I knew that before I used these rare, no longer produced dyes I must ask innumerable questions on Facebook International’s Silk Painters site. A Master Silk Painter started to answer my questions about many different topics: bases, printing on silk, different techniques, and how to sew rolled edges..…
Years ago, the phone rang and our younger son brought it to me saying, "Dad, there’s a man here who wants to speak to David Stickel." I took it and said, "Well, you got’em. This is David Stickel." He responded, "Ahh…but are you the right, David Stickel?" He explained that he had seen my photo and name many years earlier…
A name from the distant past arrives in an email, asking, “Does this look familiar?” Sent within the message is a photograph from Lawry Sager. We had met in Madrid, New Mexico, circa 1980 and lost touch. The photo shows an unfinished wall with several pieces of art decorating it. One being a small pastel, which I had traded Lawry…
I’m not saying that I’m a hoarder, but my quest for color has led me to amass 1000 markers and hundreds of paints from alcohol ink to watercolor to acrylic. And the real story is about the beauty and vibrancy of alcohol ink. In the past five years, it’s become a lot more available and popular. But the truth is…
Not long ago, my dear friend Jean sent me a picture of an unusual hibiscus flower. The colors were like nothing I had ever seen before, as if the flower was not in a photo, but a painting. I was determined to paint the flower but needed to see it first to believe it was real. I like to have…
Transparent sepia is a fascinating pigment when you mix it with linseed oil. I pick up a Cornellisen bristle brush and stain an empty canvas with lazy rogue strokes, while I take a sip of my strong coffee. My studio turns into a blinding space of endless imagination. Yann Tiersen piano notes swirl into my space from my amazon music…
Life at the edge of our field is always interesting and inspires my painting practice. Many of you who live in a more rural part of the Piedmont know what I’m talking about, and even if you have a small backyard you may see some of this wonder as well! Every day is a new visual experience depending on the…
As luck would have it after retiring from my day job I moved from my home of 45 years in Chicago to the small town of Carrboro known as "The Paris of the Piedmont." I love this small town and the people who are enthusiastic in supporting the Arts. Here I have continued to pursue my two loves — garden…
“Kookaburra sits on an old gum tree...” goes a song from my childhood. Gum is a large family of Australian trees which are locally known as “Mallee.” Burls from Mallee trees are especially beautiful and, when you find them available in the US, are expensive. Because of the expense, I was unwilling to turn Australian burls for several years after…
As an artist I am never at loss for painting ideas. Most of all I love animals. These ideas often come to me as I paint instead of setting out to depict a certain scene. As I paint the colors and images all come together and I change this or that until I can say in my heart I am…