Sunflower. Oil on canvas. © Vernita Bridges Hoyt 2010 ...   If you want to be an artist, you might not have familial support as a young person striking out on your own. Parents tend to want their child to select a career or profession known to provide good financial support. An art career can be the opposite. If you truly want to be an artist and have the stamina and perseverance to stay with it, learn how to manage a small business. The pursuit of making and selling art is a small business in and of itself.  Plan your time for creating. Plan [...]

   A rose is a rose is a rose.  —Gertrude Stein, "Sacred Emily" 1913   My mother always said, "JANUARY is a good time to plant rose bushes." She did this and built up the East Texas sandy loam around the bare woody stems until the threat of freezing weather had passed. Then she would gently wipe the sand away from the stems as the new growth appeared. Her rose bushes produced the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. The only rose I have been successful growing is the Tropicana rose which is a beautiful orange color. All roses remind me of my mother.   Painting [...]