Blog
My blog is a reflection of my artistic process and my love of the natural world. I write about my inspiration, challenges, and successes. I also share tips and techniques for artists of all levels.
Hello, Maria
I open my email and find the following inbox note from a mysterious, almost friend, who came to my student show a gazillion years ago and saw a painting that she liked and bought…
Finding Hope with van Gogh
Over the course of his life, Vincent van Gogh wrote approximately 900 letters of which several hundreds were to his brother Theo. Here he is writing to Theo from The Hague in early August 1883.
What I Would Say About Oakland
I love the way Calvino’s beautiful novel Invisible Cities starts. Marco Polo telling the great Khan of the cities he visited, sharing the objects he collected from the conquered empire, and of hearing languages unknown to him.
You Can’t Lie About Trees
Having found John F. Carlson and his Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, I thought to apply my own understanding of what this very storied artist and teacher has advised.
Making Time to See
I started slow drawing per the suggestion of my coach and counselor, both of us seeing the potential as a next-step addition to my morning journal practice. Instead of reaching for my writing notebook, I reach for my sketchbook and head out to my tiny “cottage garden” that I’ve nurtured since we moved to Richmond, CA last year.
Maria and the Gala
My artist comadre in arms, Ami Cooper, an emerging artist and writer, chose me as the subject of a blog article titled, Maria and the Gala. The following article is an interview that was originally published on November 3, 2019 and was featured on her blog The Sacred Apple, a blog about creatives and apples.
They are Only Fears
I sat down today to write about a recent experience with fear; ironically, my goal to write about fear has caused, you guessed it, fear. This fear, I believe, springs from my anxiety to “get it right,” for the fear that if I don’t get it right, there will be consequences. After all, everyone is watching and waiting and worst of all, judging. And, while it feels really real, it just is NOT TRUE.
An Interview with the Artist — Maria P Tuttle
The following was inspired by Julia Cameron’s course in discovering and recovering the creative self titled The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Creativity. Some of the questions are drawn directly from the journaling exercises that I completed during the course.
Open Air Sketching — Where Do I Start?
I have to thank my friend Ami and her darling significant person Doniel for these questions. On a cold-ish morning in June 2021, at the windy Eckley Pier in Crockett, CA, the 3 of us got together for an open-air sketching hang. On the hike down to the water and during the group sketching lesson, they asked me the following questions…