JO Blog

My dear friend and respected artist Wendy Brightbill will be coming to teach at our new studio! This will be the last live workshop of the year at our studios and it will be a workshop that you will not want to miss. This workshop is a two day event!. Come and read all about. […]

Good Morning! Today I have guest artist Danielle Donaldson teaching in our studio!  She will be teaching her Be Still live workshop all about illustrating, painting and stitching a compass heart.  We have the best surprise for you!  Danielle recorded the whole process before coming to our studio and if you are not in the […]

I just got back from speaking about Product Launching at the Haven Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an incredible time and I will be sharing more soon!  I am also going to record my talk so if you are wanting to grow your business you can watch if you were not able to make […]

***This event can be purchased as a one or two day workshop*** To purchase Field Guide for Saturday, September 17th, 2016 as a ONE DAY EVENT. To purchase Field Guide for September 16 & 17th, 2016 as a TWO DAY EVENT. Today I had five children and three adults exploring our land. We were gathering […]

I know that one of your favorite courses that we offer on our creative network is anything with home! Being creative and creating a comfortable and beautiful space is at the heart of many of us (and even more desire to know how). But where do we begin? How do we make decisions that truly […]

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*** The winner of the crocheted beaded necklace/wrap bracelet by Robin Dudley-Howes is… Teresa Young commented: July 27, 2016 at 7:55 pm (Edit) So here it is….I have done ALL of these things! * Share the new course and giveaway on Facebook by sharing this post * Share the new course […]

Happy Sunday! I wanted to share some very special news!  We have the rare honor of having soldering jewelry artist Stephanie Lee teaching Hand-Forged|A Metal and Torch Soldering Jewelry Course! Stephanie is a pioneer in the metal and soldering jewelry world. Many techniques that are now common among soldering artists was introduced by Stephanie. This is […]

***TODAY is the the last day to get the early registration price of $28 for Close To Home | A Watercolor Landscape Journey. *** The more I practice my art and the more comfortable I become with my chosen tools…the more I have a deep desire to take them everywhere. I remember around the time […]

Back in February I was having dinner with a few good friends in California and I couldn’t keep my eyes off one of my friend’s necklaces! It was exquisite, interesting and a work of art.  It had been wrapped a few times around her neck to make it shorter and she quickly took it off […]

When people ask about my new studio or about our first live workshop it doesn’t even feel real. Our life is so different than it was five months ago and I think we are all still wrapping our heads around it. This move, this land, this house and this studio has changed our life. That […]

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*** The winner of the $250 Dick Blick gift card is… Ginny Markley commented: July 18, 2016 at 8:07 pm (Edit) I am drawn to bright colors and abstract art because it is candy to the eyes…It is jewelry to a room…it is mark making at its best! Abstract art is […]

Letting Go: An Exploration of Abstract Painting begins on MONDAY! Come and see a trailer of the art that will be made in this course…   I have admired Wendy’s work for years and I am so honored that she will be teaching on our site and especially love that she will be focusing on […]

We moved into our new home and land in February of this year.   The day before we moved in our town was covered in a blizzard and we scrambled to find someone to plow our new long driveway. Only a few weeks after our move we announced our first workshop in the studio that had […]

I have been working on preparing my talk at Haven all about Product Launching. The one thing I am missing is YOU! I want to hear from you and what questions you are thinking or struggling with as you try to move your business forward. What questions do you have about product launching?  I will […]

I have been working on a very special project for awhile now and I am so excited to tell you about it. When I came up with the idea of The Living Studio it was based upon the idea and belief that the whole world should be our studio. I have taken people to Italy […]

Being a wife, mom, friend, business owner, household manager, school juggler and creative are some of the hats I wear. I know you are the same and probably more. I also know that if I am not intentional with my marriage, children, schooling, business, creative time etc. than I miss out on opportunities of being […]

Our new studio is waiting for you and we have opened up a few more spots for our one day watercolor and mixed media workshop with Danielle Donaldson. Come to my home and studio for an art workshop all about lots of light, room to move, color falling off the paper, beauty everywhere you look, good […]

We have just opened registration for Sketching and Collage | A Mini Course and you don’t have to wait one second to access the content! This course is INSTANTLY available! We have never done this before and we hope you love it! Sketching and Collage | A Mini Course has THREE hours of content and […]

  I still feel like I dreamed about our first workshop in our new studio!  It was even more amazing than I could have imagined. The women, the energy, the food, the art created.  I am still processing the whole weekend and the reality that we have a huge new studio where I can work […]

For children, art isn’t about rules and critiques. Art for kids is about expression and creating and fun! Creating art with kids is like opening the most fantastic Pandora ’s Box of possibilities. You never know how they will express themselves through art. Going back years and years to some of the most beloved Masters […]

The more I practice my art and the more comfortable I become with my chosen tools…the more I have a deep desire to take them everywhere. I remember around the time I came up with the idea for The Living Studio retreats that I was missing creative opportunities because I was not prepared. I had […]

***Tomorrow (June 20th)  Children of the Wild with Kate Thompson begins!*** Kate’s techniques and instructions will open your eyes to new ways to use the tools you already love and use.  Her courses are rich and full of content. Our creative network has the most beautiful artists and I believe our courses are rich, affordable […]

I have admired Wendy’s work for years and I am so honored that she will be teaching on our site and especially love that she will be focusing on abstracts! In this course, we will listen to our intuition to create expressive abstract paintings. We will explore mediums and techniques that lend themselves to letting […]

My parents had been married a few years when I was born and with only a semester left in college my mom put it on hold to stay home with me.  I was a senior in high school when my mom finished and earned her teaching degree.  She didn’t walk across a stage and the […]