What medium do you use?
I mix my own: 2 parts linseed oil | 1 part stand oil | 1 part Gamsol (mineral spirits)

What is your palette?
titanium white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red medium, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, phthalo blue and burnt umber (all Utrecht brand oils) - I sometimes add to this: indian yellow, permanent rose and/or cadmium red light. I use the umber only for the ground (sometimes) and for sketching in the layout/drawing.

What brushes do you use?
My favorite brush for a canvas surface is a Windsor & Newton Monarch flat. They are very expensive and wear out fast, so my next favorite is a Silver Bristlon bright. They are synthetic but have a nice crisp edge and lasts a good while. My favorite brush for a smoother surface, like gessobaord, is an Umbria from Princeton Art & Brush Co.

What panels do you use?
I am really liking the gessoboards from Ampersand right now, but I also use Raymar's smooth cotton canvas panels.

How do you choose your ground color and/or apply it?
The ground color you see peeking through in my paintings is applied with a small amount of paint thinned with mineral spirits. After brushing it on I wipe it down evenly with a paper towel. As for the color, I often choose the compliment of the dominant color (dominant = the color that takes up the most room in the painting). If the painting has a lot of white or gray/neutral, I often choose burnt umber for the ground. I never, ever use a mix with white or phthalo in it for the ground.

Do you varnish your paintings?
Not at this time. The medium I use leaves a fairly even gloss. I hate the way varnish smells – I feel like I lose a few brain cells every time I open the bottle. : )

How do you ship your paintings?
My paintings are very carefully packaged so that almost nothing touches the surface, and no jostling, tossing, pounding, etc. by usps employees (gotta love those guys) will damage the painting.  I insure each painting and ship it in a Priority Mail box that generally takes 2-3 days to reach the buyer. Here are some photos of my process:

How long does it generally take you to finish one of these small paintings?
Anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours, AND 20 years.

How do you photograph your paintings?
I go outside with my (automatic digital) camera & art. I find a spot in open shade and hold my art out in front of me. I turn around and stop when i see no glare on my art – then put it down on something safe so it doesn’t fall/blow over, and nothing is in front of it. I make sure my art is not facing any light source (the sky, or even a window that is reflecting the sky). I have found a perfect spot on the north side of my house that I use every time. I zoom in a little since my camera is wide-angle at it's original setting(most are). If my painting is mostly dark and I fill the frame too much my painting will be over-exposed | if I don’t fill it enough it will be under-exposed (look in LCD panel and take the picture when it looks “right”). I open my picture in Photoshop (or Picasa – free from google). I crop it, change the image size (to about 600 pixels per side) and use Image>Levels to make values “right”. I adjust colors if they need adjusting. Finally, I save (for web) as a .jpg (no less than 75%).

How long does it take each day to post your painting on ebay and your blog?
It takes me about 15 minutes to do all this. Sometimes it takes a little longer as I agonize over what to write under my painting. : )

Do you frame your small paintings?
I sell them unframed. That said, I can recommend a couple of framers that are very good:
www.kingofframe.com - King of Frame
www.metroframe.com - Metro Frame

Do you paint outside? What kind of box/system do you use?
Yes I do, and LOVE it. I wish I could get outside more often. Right now my favorite box is from Art Box & Panel, though I also own an Open Box M and a Guirilla Box. The Open M is also wonderful and light, but has much less mixing room than the Art Box. The Guirilla box is what I started with but is really, really heavy.

How did you set up your email list?
I use www.constantcontact.com but I recommend Feedburner as an easier, cheaper alternative. Feedburner is difficult to set up, but a previous student, Stephen Parker, was nice enough to put together a step-by-step page of instructions which I am happy to email to anyone who asks.

Do you ever do demos?
Yes, only two so far. You can view them here.

Will you EVER be putting out a DVD?
I've been thinking about this a lot and hope to put something together this year (2011).

Do you give workshops and what is your schedule?
Yes I do, and you will find my schedule and a description of the classes here and on my blog - right side, scroll down a bit.

Are you available to come to my area to give a workshop?
I go where I am invited. That said, I have been completely overwhelmed by invitations lately!! I am completely booked for 2 years out (generally) and have started a list of places that would like to be considered in the future. Please email me if you know of (or own) an art school or group with space for a workshop in your area and I will add you to my list (so you know, it's getting pretty long at this point).

Where/how did you learn to paint?
I went to the University of Texas at Austin but learned nothing there. There was no focus on improving skill from the professors, but rather impressing critics, which I have no interest in. I want to make a living doing what I love most - painting! I learned by poring over art magazines and books, studying and copying work that struck me, and experimenting a lot. Painting every day is the best thing I do towards improving!

What does your shadowbox look like?
It is a really cool box invented/built by my husband. It is constructed of pvc pipe and plywood, is lightweight and is mounted on a heavy duty tripod so I can raise and lower it to get just about any angle on my still life. Here is a photo: