I took my first art class from Melanie Jackson in 2002. The only art I had had up to that point might have been in grade school...with a crayon. I never, ever planned to be an artist. Melanie was teaching Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain at the Rec center in Franklin. I happened to see an ...continue reading

When I teach basic drawing workshops I am continually telling my students that I want them to learn to see like an artist. When my drawing teacher, Melanie Jackson, told me that the first time, I wondered what she meant. How do you learn to see like an artist? Don't we all see the ...continue reading

I was sitting at my desk making a handmade card to send to a friend who is having emotional and health issues and needed a word of encouragement. I love making cards. I love encouraging people. I love helping others discover they have more inside themselves than they think they do. And, while making ...continue reading