My Creativity Blog

Hi! I’m Terry Holliday. I want to inspire you! Here you will find articles to get you thinking about your creative journey. I hope you enjoy the site. If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and come back often!

Purple Orchid

Last week I wrote an [...]

Have you ever messed up a painting putting in a background? I have. I have ruined many paintings putting the background in last after spending hours or days working on the main subject.
What do I mean when I say “background”? I  mean the area behind the subject in a still life, a floral, or even a [...]

I want to paint more often. When I don’t paint I get grouchy. I feel out of sorts. Another thing that happens is I have a problem getting back to painting if I stay away too long.
It is strange. Sometimes when I have time to paint, I don’t.  It is as if I have to [...]

I am are always looking for activities to broaden my horizon, to expand my artistic knowledge. I happened to discover an art supply store in Portland that provides demonstrations on various media for their customers. The best part about the demos is they are free!  You can’t beat that. The name of the store is [...]

Plein Air is derived from the French phrase “en plein air” which means in the open air.  So plein air painting would mean painting outside.  Many artists paint strictly in their studio, other artists like to experience the essence of the area they are painting.
When I first started painting years ago, I remember taking a [...]

So, how’s the weather where you are?
I know that the weather has been a major issue in many parts of the country this winter. I have been adapting to living in the Portland, Oregon area after living in Hawaii for two years. Sounds tough, huh? Anyway, it is colder here than in Hawaii. Ya think?
Before [...]

Yesterday I did a painting demonstration at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts Store in Portland. I painted for two hours as a way to promote the watercolor classes I will be teaching there in January and February.  I have been wanting to mention these classes but was not sure when I should. I guess this is [...]