Top 10 Little Known Facts About the Sistine Ceiling

Top 10 Little Known Facts About the Sistine Ceiling

In honor of the anniversary of Michelangelo unveiling his Sistine Chapel ceiling on Nov 1, 1512, here are 10 things you might not know about that ceiling.

7 Keys to Michelangelo's Success

7 Keys to Michelangelo's Success

Michelangelo was one of the most prolific and successful artists in history, but how did he do it?. How did this notoriously headstrong artist with a terrible temper (NOT from a wealthy, connected family) become arguably the most successful entrepreneur in history? And what can YOU learn from Michelangelo’s extraordinary success?

Rare Michelangelo Exhibit in US 2019/2020

Rare Michelangelo Exhibit in US 2019/2020

Over the next 9 months, 2 museums in the US will offer a rare opportunity to see Michelangelo drawings (from the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, Netherlands) up close in the United States. Michelangelo: Mind of the Master will be at the Cleveland Museum of Art from now through January 5 and at the Getty in Los Angeles from Feb 25 - June 7.

Top 10 Art Museums in the South

Top 10 Art Museums in the South

I know many people don’t typically associate great art with the American South, but I was born and raised in Arkansas and so have had the privilege of visiting many of our great Southern museums. So, here’s a list of my favorite museums, all located in my proverbial neck of the woods.

Gaudi’s La Pedrera: Night or Day?

Gaudi’s La Pedrera: Night or Day?

Nearly everyone’s “Must See” list in Barcelona includes a visit to the Antoni Gaudi apartment building Casa Milà (commonly called La Pedrera). But when you go to buy your tickets, you’ll be faced with a tough choice. You can tour La Pedrera by day OR by night. So, I wanted to give you the inside scoop between day and night so you can make the best decision for your trip.

10 Ways Our World is Like the Renaissance

10 Ways Our World is Like the Renaissance

After studying the Renaissance for nearly 25 years — and writing books about it — I seen striking and strange similarities between our era and that era of exploding art and science from 500 years ago. So, here are my Top 10 Ways Our World is Like the Renaissance

8 Great Acting Books for Writers

8 Great Acting Books for Writers

For those of you who want to pick up a few acting tools to learn how to create better characters, write more compelling dialogue, and craft stronger scenes, here’s a list of some of my favorite acting books for you.

Top 10 Recommended Books for Fans of Oil and Marble

Top 10 Recommended Books for Fans of Oil and Marble

My Top 10 Recommendations for nonfiction & fiction reads for fans of Oil and Marble.

10 Small Art Museums with Giant Collections

10 Small Art Museums with Giant Collections

I love giant art museums — the Louvre, Met, Getty, Vatican, British Museum; you can wander through their halls for days and still not see everything on display. But even more than a giant museum, I love walking into a TINY museum that has a collection that rivals the big kids.

Recommended Books on the Craft of Writing

Recommended Books on the Craft of Writing

Often when I teach a writing workshop, my students ask for my favorite books about the craft of writing. So here’ s my odd list—a combo of books about writing prose, screenplays, and even musicals to help you find the kinds of books you want to read to improve your craft.

Shockingly True Things in Oil and Marble

Shockingly True Things in Oil and Marble

Today, a new Leonardo da Vinci drawing was discovered in France (see featured image). To honor this very real discovery of very real history, here are 10 shockingly true stories from my historical novel, Oil and Marble: a novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo. I wrote lots of imagined bits — that’s why it’s fiction — but these historical facts may surprise you.