Verrocchio Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art
When I walked into the Verrocchio exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C, I thought I HAD to be looking at a copy or a model of the original Verrocchio masterpiece of David standing over the head of Goliath. There was NO POSSIBLE WAY the Bargello (the great sculpture museum in Florence) had shipped Verrocchio’s ORIGINAL statue all the way to America… right?! WRONG.
Top 10 Works at Portland Art Museum
If I Sign Yours, You Sign Mine
Summer 2018: Paperback and New TV Show
Hack a Museum
Recently, I went on a Museum Hack tour — “unconventional tours of the world’s best museums” — at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. So, here are 8 reasons why — if you ever get the chance — you should definitely hack a museum!
Learn to Be Unreasonable: Lessons from Artists
How to Write When You Don’t Have Time to Write
Bibliography for Oil and Marble
A lot of people ask about the research that went into my art historical novel, Oil and Marble. I’ve been obsessed with Michelangelo, Leonardo and the Italian Renaissance for over 20 years (I’ve read every book I could find, crawled into …
Find Other Leonardo da Vinci Novels
Leonardo da Vinci: Top 10 Quotes
In honor of Leonardo da Vinci’s 565th birthday today (he was born on April 15, 1452), I’m celebrating with 10 of my favorite quotes attributed to the maestro (yes, many of these can be found in my novel, Oil and Marble).
Scratching Out a Little Girl’s Dream
Today, the Slovakian translation of my novel arrived. That’s two translations so far (the first was Spanish), and my publisher says there are more on the way. Oh, if I could’ve shown myself this picture when I was seven… or sixteen… twenty… thirty-eight.
My First Year as a Novelist
On Revisiting the Last Supper
To Succeed as an Artist, Seek an Unbalanced Life
I hear it all the time: To be happy, you must seek balance. “The only way to be a successful human being is to NOT be so obsessed with your work. Be obsessed with balance, instead! Balance between work and family, up time, downtime…” But no artist I admire has EVER sought a “work-life balance.” They work hard. Too hard. That’s what they do. That’s who they are. And that’s why they’re great.
Fear of a Book Event in Madrid
When I Dreamed of Being a Novelist, This is Not What I Pictured
Top 10 Things I've Learned from Traveling Full Time
Afraid to Listen to My Own Audiobook
First Draft Done. Now What?
I’m a novelist, so I know the feeling: You conquered your fear and started your novel. You wrote for months or maybe years. You survived the long desert known as “the middle.” You wrote your favorite parts; the parts that made you want to write the story in the first place. And then, you wrote the last sentence. Added the last period. The End.