It’s never enough

After working through the formula for Positive Predictive Value in my data analysis course, I should now definitely analyze what I have in common with Eminem. But it’s after 9 p.m. and I’m tired, and anyhow, this rap pretty much says it: No matter how many battles I been in and won No matter how many magazines on my … read more It’s never enough

Picasso said so

One of my mental blocks about art is that I am always trying to create a masterpiece. After all, Picasso said, Everything you can imagine is real. So if I can imagine a masterpiece, it is real already. I just have to paint it. So I come to the daily practice, reminding myself of another … read more Picasso said so

Four steps of investigative journalism and other pursuits

In 2002, I was asked to give a workshop on investigative reporting for journalists in Laos. I was pretty surprised by this request. Laos was, and still is, a tightly controlled Communist country. And yet, having given up central management of the economy, the party leaders had recognized that its media needed to do a … read more Four steps of investigative journalism and other pursuits

Seeing in palettes

Adobe has long been known for its overly complex software, but Photoshop and Lightroom have for years been programs that I can’t live without. Today I discovered a new one: Adobe Capture, an app that makes it really simple to discover a palette of colors for a scene. (You can also make brushes, vector graphics and “looks” for … read more Seeing in palettes

More broken glass

My piece from the first week of fused glass class was a square bowl, and it didn’t turn out well. The transparent purple and the neon blue look odd together when fused. The gold threads were completely lost. All the colors are distorted by the surface beneath them, unless the bowl is displayed on a white … read more More broken glass

Slivers of autumn light

There’s a light that comes in the fall, one that gathers up everything it touches with warmth and death. In this light even the simplest thing – a tiny crack in the wood of the porch railing – glows and pulses. I was out there this morning, camera in hand, keeping my promise to the day. Hypermacro … read more Slivers of autumn light

Where do ideas come from?

In fused-glass class today, one of the other students asked the instructor, “Where do you get ideas for projects and patterns?” I had to zip my mouth to stop from saying, “Where do you NOT get ideas?” For me the problem is “Where do I get the time to carry out all the ideas I have already?” … read more Where do ideas come from?