Real Life Shangri-La

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A change of scene is good for the soul and for the art practice.
There’s no better souvenir than the refreshed outlook one brings back to the studio after time away.

One of the highlights of our recent vacation was a visit to Shangri La, Doris Duke’s Honolulu home / now museum that is dedicated to her massive collection of Islamic art.

Below are just a few of the many gems that caught my eye.

Diamond Head from the museum’s lawn

A mirrored ceiling within what had once been a dressing room

Heavily carved and intricately painted doors embellished with gold leaf

Outdoor stairs leading to an open-air patio on the roof of one of the galleries. Can you imagine the parties?!

While vividly-colored tilework dominates the collection, this embroidered tapestry stood out for its textural detail and subtle use of teal blue.

The abundance of rich details – paint work, tiles and the perforated lantern – made this little alcove sparkle

The museum’s galleries branch off a central, open-air courtyard. This spectacular tile wall and the metal grillwork above it anchor one side of that space.

Heavenly blue

The elaborate details of a mother of pearl inlaid bureau

This beautiful recreation of a Mughal Garden is inspired by the Shalimar Gardens built in 1637 CE in Lahore, Pakistan, which were constructed during reign of the Mughal Empire.

Who knows how or when all this inspiration may resurface. The main thing is, it’s now in the “vault”.

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A couple of irresistible, sea-related visual treats spotted at other Oahu locations…

Jellyfish

Octopus

And despite the on-again, off-again rain – there was still an opportunity to walk (and sketch) along the beach.

I brought along my new travel palette (5-5/16″ x 3-3/8″ x 1/4″) from Art Toolkit. It was a huge success. I left room for a couple of extra mixing pans on the right, and still was able to fit plenty of paint colors.

I took this shot before we left so I would remember what colors I brought with me. The stainless steel pans are all removable and can be switched around. The variety of available pan sizes gives one a lot of flexibility according to which colors you want to bring, and how much of each. They all rest on a magnet that is built into the palette bottom – so there’s no fear that anything will fall out.

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Now that I’m back I’ve been hard at work, mostly following various ideas to see where they lead. I’m pleased with the direction the stitching is taking on this piece that I showed you last time.

And one final thing to share:
I am really excited to have stumbled upon Northern Kentucky University’s Drawing Database. on YouTube. The bite-size art history videos lured me in, but I will be back for some of the longer sessions. Hope you enjoy it too.

Spring Sampling

Winter is beginning to loosen its grasp so the world feels like it’s opening back up again.
Here is a sampling of the out-and-about arty goodness that’s captured my eye and consumed my interest since my last post.

My life drawing group

Siouxsie ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor, 11.75 x 16.5 I am regularly asked about the sketchbook I use during our drawing sessions. It’s the largest one I could find — a Moleskine hardcover with watercolor paper. It only comes with cold press paper, which is a bit of a disappointment as I prefer hot press, but considering this is the second one I’ve bought, I happily recommend it.

Playing in the studio, thinking about pattern

For example, this

became this (in detail). It’s nothing to write home about, but offered lots of micro discoveries along the way.

Working small (this one is 6″ x 5″) allows me to unearth valuable insights and to make mistakes without too much investment. I can then carry what I learn on to the next one.

Jug & Vase ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache, 7.75″ x 5″ Not addressing stitching yet, but there’s a lot about this that I love: the looseness, the luxuriousness of the paint, the cropped design. That said, it’s just one more step on my road, not a destination. I still don’t know what’s waiting around the corner.

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Leo Twiggs

My friend, photographer & quilt artist Roz Daniels, recommended I look up the artist Leo Twiggs in light of a separate discussion we were having. I found a wonderful documentary called “Arriving: Leo Twiggs and his Art”. In light of my explorations with pattern above, his wisdom is exactly what I need to hear at this particular juncture. Here’s a brief quote:

“Art is a journey and it’s an adventure. And you don’t really know where you’re going. There’s no navigation…you have to find your way…What you do is arrive at places…you can’t go there. You have to arrive there.”

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Lots of new exhibitions have opened and it’s been a treat to see some of them in person. A few highlights from each show:

You’re An Animal
Sculptures by Jennifer McCandless
Soapbox Arts, March 12 – April 25

Modern Romance © Jennifer McCandless, Ceramic, 17.5 x 9.5 x 9.5 photo: from Soapbox Arts website

The Work of Paper: Juried Show 2026
Edgewater Gallery, February 28 – March 28

Leaving Behind, detail, Ania Gilmore

Brimming: Mary Hill and Betsy Chapek
Studio Place Arts, Second floor gallery, March 11 – April 18

Book Lab: Collaborations
Studio Place Arts, Third floor gallery March 11 – April 18

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And lastly

Dense with indispensable information. I am slowly making my way through this library book. It’s so good that I’ll likely add it to my Kindle library.

And now I have to ask – what is Spring bringing to your neck of the woods?

Before I forget, I will be away from my desk for a bit in the coming weeks, so my next post will be April 23rd. Until then.

The Art of Practice

I happened upon an interview on the Learn to Paint podcast recently that offered a real light bulb moment. William A. Schneider is a painter who is also a musician. Having gone to both art and music schools, he realized a major difference between the two. Unlike art school, music school taught Schneider how to practice — knowledge that has ultimately benefitted his painting as well.

Different paints, different grounds, different approaches — over and over and over…

Here’s what I brought away from his discussion:

First, in terms of longterm growth, musicians are taught that practicing for a big chunk of time a couple of times a week doesn’t hold a candle to working for shorter time periods every single day.
Nothing beats daily practice.

This week is the “OneWeek100People2026” challenge. Practice personified!

Secondly, Schneider talked about the importance of isolating skills while learning. Unlike visual artists, who tend to create a complete piece while trying to keep a specific skill that needs attention in mind (guilty!), musicians don’t work to perfect a full piece all at once. They accomplish much more by concentrating on exercises geared specifically toward refining a particular skill found within a piece, repeating the exercise over and over until it becomes second nature.
Work to become proficient in one skill, then move on to the next, and the next, ultimately building toward the whole.

So simple, yet so impactful. I’m headed, literally and figuratively, back to the drawing board.

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MARKED opened yesterday at Studio Place Arts. I have two pieces in the show and, while unfortunately I can’t make the Art Social this Saturday, March 14th due to a previous commitment, I could see when I dropped off my work that it promises to be a beautiful and thought-provoking exhibition. Follow the link above for a preview.
Plus, don’t miss the other shows on the upper floors.
All are view through April 18th.

Organized Chaos

Self-Portrait ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache & Embroidery on paper, 6 x 8 inches This represents a couple of firsts: my first time painting a face using gouache and a first self-portrait. While I think the stitched pattern works well in this case, what I’m ultimately aiming for is to find a way to more fully integrate pattern, stitching and paint with each other.

I have an uncle who wrote a regular newspaper column for years. During family get-togethers, including major holidays, he would inevitably sequester himself from the family group for a bit so he could meet his deadline. I was just a kid, but still peripherally aware that his challenge included what to write about week after week; it never occurred to me then how personal that memory might become.

Bowl and Cup, in process ©2026 Elizabeth Fram This piece shows my most exciting discovery to date. I absolutely LOVE the almost batik-like effect of the pattern which lies underneath this image. Gouache’s inherent nature to reactivate with water has worked to my advantage here. That said, it’s also a very tricky operation. I haven’t had a chance to add stitching to this piece, but I have ideas…

There are weeks when I really struggle with what to post here. It’s not that I lack things to share, but rather the challenge can be figuring out how to weave together my behind-the-scenes loose ends in a presentable and, hopefully, interesting way. It’s one thing to make the work, another altogether to write about it coherently, especially when it’s in a place of transition.

Establishing an under-layer of pattern with paint as a first step.

Anyway, that’s the spot I find myself in this week – trying to articulate organized chaos. I’ve been plenty busy, but other than just showing you my progress, I lack a cohesive way to explain where I’m headed, especially since I’m not exactly sure yet where that might be. I’m puzzling my way through unknown territory and thus finding comfort in that discomfort.

In progress ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache on paper Look closely and you’ll see that I painted this portrait on top of the above under-layer. I learned a couple of important lessons to carry forward. Still planning to stitch on this one, but again, haven’t yet had time.

The one thing I know from experience is that the secrets I’m hoping to uncover will only float to the surface through doing the work. One has to venture down a lot of dead-ends before finding the road through.
I’ll have to ask my uncle if that’s how it worked for him too.

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A colorful reminder that Spring is on its way.

Out and About

Now that February has arrived, it’s been a lovely change to emerge from January’s hibernation to spend time catching up with friends and getting out and about to see art beyond my studio walls.

Susan, detail ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor and Graphite on paper, 16.5″ x 18″ Drawing alongside like-minded souls is such a pleasure. Last week our model brought her fiddle and played while we drew/painted her. It was the essence of community.

Last week, three of us went to AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH where we caught a terrific “two-fer”.
First was Eva Sturm-Gross’s exhibition “Beasts of Eden”.

The Watchers, Eva Sturm-Gross, Carved basswood

Representing a fragmented symbolic world, her sculptural and printed pieces refer to Biblical narratives expressed through the animals that dwell near her childhood home in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont.

The Thief, Eva Sturm-Gross, Carved basswood, Relief print, Gold leaf and beeswax on paper

She often merges reality with myth.

Behold, Eva Sturm-Gross, Carved basswood, Relief print and beeswax on paper

According to the gallery notes, animal-headed figures are a common motif in medieval Jewish aesthetic culture. Sturm-Gross uses that device to convey a sense of the sacred found within the local landscape.

What Does the Lover Want From Love, Eva Sturm-Gross, Carved basswood, Relief print and beeswax on paper

This quality in her work speaks directly and convincingly to those of us who also find ourselves living in daily pace with the land and the creatures who surround us.

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Juni Van Dyke, These Beautiful Hands: A Tribute to Our Elders

Next, I felt a huge sense of connection with Juni Van Dyke’s installation “These Beautiful Hands: A Tribute to Our Elders”. Similar to my Full Bloom series of stitched portraits, her pieces directly challenge this country’s sadly all-too common attitude that value and beauty are diminished with age.

Juni Van Dyke, Plaster cast hands and hand-made paper: “Handholding. You do a lot of that when you raise children. When my daughter was eight and in the hospital with appendicitis, she held my hand and begged me not to leave. ‘When are you coming back?’ she pleaded. Now, somedays here (in the nursing home) I sit by my window and I know exactly how she felt.”

This series of cast-plaster hands, in conjunction with brief anecdotes gleaned in conversation during the casting process, represent, in Van Dyke’s words, a soul and a life well-lived.

Juni Van Dyke, Plaster cast hands and hand-made paper: “Heaven and Hell. I don’t care if there is or there isn’t. I’ve been through hell. Heaven is where I am right now. My doctor says ‘Keep doing whatever you’re doing’. I drink vinegar and pickle juice every day. I’m old and I feel great!”

Accompanying her installation of hands and quotes are a series of small oil paintings that Van Dyke created as a gesture of gratitude to the elderly — made for and about people she has known and loved, and for those who participated in her Beautiful Hands project.

Juni Van Dyke, The Gratitude Series, oil on board

Both exhibits are only open through February 14th, so you’d better hurry if you want to go.

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Finally, I have a must-see documentary recommendation.
Porcelain War, which can be streamed on PBS (expiring on March 1), is an incredibly moving portrayal of three artists who have chosen to remain in Ukraine “armed with their art, their cameras, and for the first time in their lives, their guns. A stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the enduring hope and passion of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances.”

Porcelain War Poster

Here’s a link to the trailer.
I can’t use enough superlatives about this stunning piece. It is gorgeously filmed, absolutely heart-rending, yet simultaneously uplifting. Don’t miss it!

Start to Finish

I use mid-process photos as an invaluable tool to help me work my way through most new pieces. Photos give me a chance to evaluate what I’ve already done and, also, looking back over my progress at any given point generates ideas for next steps. It’s a means toward perspective via distance.

Fram Sketch

Making such a detailed initial sketch is not how I usually work.
But I’m currently in the midst of feeling my way toward something new and this kind of notation serves as a potential roadmap as I get my sea legs. A sketch is a means of working through possibilities (look closely to see plenty of erasures) and of recording specific ideas to keep in mind for later. In this instance, I was thinking especially in terms of value.

, Resist

Laying out the major elements with outlines of gouache sets my bearings. Next, I painted resist in specific areas (seen as barely visible yellowish lines around the leaf shapes and as hash marks surrounding the tube of paint in the lower right). My aim with this step is to create visual texture by preserving the white of the paper in a way that would be hard to do with paint alone.

Palette

Learning about color is never-ending. Choosing a limited palette simplifies and unifies.

First Layers

Beginning layers of paint get things underway. Gouache’s opacity gives me elbow room to tweak colors and change my mind in a way that isn’t possible with watercolor. It’s quite liberating.

Value

Value is such an integral part of color. Using my phone’s black & white mono filter helps me stay on track in terms of value.

First Stitches

Once the painting is done and the resist is removed, the stitching begins. This photo highlights that the work itself, together with intuition, dictates my direction far more strongly than any initial sketch. Rather than merely filling in the whole area on the left with needle weaving, as originally intended, I realized mid-way that the varying thread colors really made the pink ground pop – so why cover it? Plus, by not filling the area completely with stitches, that pause of pink serves as a bridge which highlights the “conversation” between the stitched area and the white marks on the red ground.

A stitched border extends the ideas found within the imagery, yet stands on its own. I’m attracted to the idea of wrapping common objects in pattern, texture and color to give them a sense of significance beyond their unassuming simplicity.

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This Hyperallergic article by Damien Davis is worth considering if you regularly pay application fees when submitting your work to exhibitions. If nothing else, it’s food for thought.

Take Advantage of this Resource

If you aren’t already aware of the PBS series Craft in America, check it out. All episodes are free and available to stream.

I am rewatching them one by one while I work out in the morning, grateful not just for the inspiring jumpstart to my day, but for the introduction to artists I was previously unfamiliar with — along with becoming better acquainted with the practices of some I already know. Wisdom, technique, process — it’s all there. Beautifully filmed and layered with contextual information; it’s an amazing resource.

Each episode is centered on a specific concept, delving into the practices of several artists, their ideas and stories. Many segments shine a spotlight on the treasure that is embodied in cultural diversity, knowledge and history, eloquently expressed through the lens of these artists’ work and words while focusing attention on legacies we should – no need – to be mindful of nurturing and protecting — especially considering our current political climate. In the words of master weaver and dyer J. Isaac Vásquez García in the espisode “Borders”, “Art is universal, there are no borders”.

J. Isaac Vásquez García

If I had to single out any specific episode to start you off, should you choose not to go chronologically, I’d say “Visionaries”. It’s a touchstone with the value of the groundbreakers who have paved our paths and will surely inspire you to explore other chapters in the series.

With all this in mind, I’ve seen a number of fascinating exhibitions over the past 3 months by artists whose cultural vantage points, however different from a potential viewer’s, offer the sense of connection we all crave and which art can deliver.

At the Art Institute of Chicago:

Raquib Shaw’s Paradise Lost
This monumental wall installation (more than 100′ wide) is an allegorical and autobiographical telling of Shaw’s journey through life. Dense with supernatural symbolism, it alludes to Milton’s poem of the same name and is a reflection of the many paradises lost across a lifetime. Shaw notes, “This is not just my story. It is the story of each of us, and the story of our times”.

Paradise Lost, Raquib Shaw, 2009-25, as installed in the Art Institute’s galleries. Photo from the website of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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South African artist Jane Alexander’s Infantry with beast
Situated within a dark and cavernous room, adorned only with the red carpet they march upon, an army of life-size fiberglass, lockstep “humanimals” are foreboding and unsettling.

Infantry with beast, Jane Alexander, 2012

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Many of the drawings, prints and sculptures of revolutionary artist Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012), in an eponymously named retrospective at the Art Institute, centered on the lives of black women in the American South. Her powerful work was an ongoing challenge to social injustices.

Tired, Elizabeth Catlett, 1946, terracotta, 13 1/2 x 6 x 7 inches

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And at our local Fleming Museum:

Fuji and Woodland in Fog, Itchiku Kubota

Fuji and Woodland Covered in Fog, Itchiku Kubota, 1994, Tie-dye, ink painting, and embroidery on chirimen, silk crepe with gold wefts

The now-closed exhibition “Kimono” was a grand display of shimmering 20th and 21st century pieces, including a spectacular hand-dyed kimono by the Shibori master Itchiku Kubota. More contemporary works, such as the one below by Na Omi Shintani, were inspired by the form of kimono as well as its historical and cultural significance.

Deconstructed Kimono 7, Na Omi Shintani, 2024, Silk kimono, alter of ceramic vessel and wood, bamboo

The Reward of January

Happy New Year!

I’ve been getting my ducks lined up for the new year ahead – what about you?
What’s on your creative agenda for 2026?

With no chores hanging over me, I loved having time to sketch at our Airbnb every morning over Christmas week. This is Tom Leonard, Scottish Poet, painted from a photo I took at the National Portrait Gallery of Scotland, of a bronze bust by Alex Main (love what Main has to say in this short YouTube video)

Now that December’s festivities and accompanying chores are in the rearview, I’m pretty excited to get back into the studio. Sketchbook time and logging ideas/notes in my studio journal is a given, but otherwise last month’s change of scene (Christmas in Berkeley) and a holiday project for our new grand baby, were a good reset. Taking a breather – whether chosen or imposed – can be a very productive way to keep the creative juices flowing. Or maybe it’s just that absence from the studio makes the heart long to get back to it…or something like that.

The best way to learn about values is to minimize them

And suddenly it’s January — a month that I find tends to be relatively spacious and under-scheduled compared to the other eleven — or does it just seem that way because December is always overflowing? Either way, the weeks of January give us a chance to act on the new year’s sense of possibility. And that in itself is a gift.

A section of our yard, in greener days

My guidepost for the next month (and hopefully beyond) will be one of James Clear’s ideas from his most recent 3-2-1 Thursday Newletter:

“To learn, wander. To achieve, focus.”

I’m planning to put both approaches into action. I am following Peggy Kroll Roberts on Patreon and just enrolled in Lena Rivo’s course “Color Mastery”, which will give me a chance to dive deeply into gouache, as well as, I hope, new ways to think about incorporating stitching.

It was rainy and gray almost every day we were away which, frankly, I don’t mind. It helps other colors sing

Time to get to work!
And best of luck to you as you jump into 2026.

In and Out of the Studio

I have been having the best time lately, in and out of the studio.

Airport people

I never go anywhere without bringing some sort of art supplies, even if just a colored pencil and a tiny sketchbook. On our trip to CA earlier this month, I learned just how easy it would be to bring along my gouache and accompanying materials.

The center flap of this case flips over and has 6 pen straps on the other side which holds all my brushes. The numerous zippered & elasticized pockets assure I have plenty of room for everything.

I bought an inexpensive travel palette that has a silicone cover which keeps the paints moist and leakproof. It nestles within a generously sized collapsible water container which, along with all the rest of my gear, fits neatly into my 4″x9″ pencil case. Together with a lightweight Holbein 7.5″ x 6″ watercolor/multi-media sketchbook, I have a very compact but complete travel kit.

Note the palette with its silicone cover in place.

That said, makeshift studio space while traveling can be a bit of a crapshoot. Luckily, our Berkeley Airbnb not only had terrific natural light, but a lovely little desk looking out on the garden.

Berkeley Garden

You may laugh, but with no IKEAs in VT, wandering through the maze of the Emeryville store was more than a planned activity – it was an inspirational treat.

IKEA pattern

This boldly patterned duvet cover was a real eye-catcher. The calm of recreating it later with paint was equal to, if not better than, any meditation app.

This little exercise was a great way to use up leftover paint that I didn’t want to waste.

A subsequent field trip to the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek was just as fruitful in the inspiration department.

You have no idea how hard it was to choose just 2 photos among the many I took, to show here

This dry garden has been on my to-see list for a long time and it was worth the wait. So many wonderful layers of color, pattern, and texture.

Succulents

The bottom line is, pretty much anything can serve as input to brew in the back of one’s mind and eventually lead to new ideas. This trip got me thinking about ways to incorporate pattern within my worktable still lives — sometimes as a last layer, but also at the beginning of a sketch.

I used some Neocolor I’s for the under-layer of this experiment. Unlike Neocolor II’s, they aren’t water soluble, so didn’t bleed when I washed a thin layer of gouache over everything, followed by the contours of objects, again with gouache.

It’ll be interesting to see how pattern might affect a push and pull between the fore and backgrounds. Because of its opacity, gouache gives me the freedom to try this in a way that isn’t possible with watercolor. And that is a game-changer!

2025 Elizabeth Fram, Gouache on paper, 9″H x 5.75″W As I go along, bits of the original pattern poke through, which I can obliterate or enhance with subsequent layers of paint

Before I go, you may remember that last year I took the month of December off from posting to Eye of the Needle. It was such a successful way to recharge my batteries that I promised myself I would do it again this year. With that in mind, my next post will be on January 1, 2026 — which will be here before we know it.

Till then, wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays ahead!

PS: I want to give you a heads-up that there are changes on the horizon for Mailchimp (the platform I use to send out blog notifications to all you lovely subscribers). Looking into other options is one of my December chores, so there is the very likely possibility that I may send you a test in December and that my notification emails may have a new look when I return for real in January. Thanks for your patience.

Risk, Discovery, Momentum

With Art at the Kent now in the rearview, I’ve just finished another broken vase and shadow piece and have a fresh sheet of paper stretched on my board, ready to begin a new one. I still need to get these pieces out of my system before I can move on.

Even so, I’ve spent the majority of my studio time pushing forward with gouache. It’s a dance of two steps forward, one step back, yet feels ever so liberating. With each sketch – and at this point they are definitely just sketches – I’m becoming more aware of what a deep and, at times, mysterious pond I’ve jumped into.

Stlll, there are plenty of folks to lead the way. Aside from masters such as Paul Klee, Lois Dodd, and Fairfield Porter, contemporary painters like Lena Rivo, Maru Godas, and Mike Hernandez give me plenty to think about and to study.

In a timely bit of kismet, I was listening to an “I Like Your Work” podcast by Erika b Hess in which she touched on the commonality, and even the bravery, of delving into the fresh territory of a new medium. Her characterization of such explorations as a period of “risk, discovery, and momentum” nails the feeling. What better time than now, after a couple of big exhibitions, to thwart complacency by breathing some fresh air into my practice?

Orange and Purple Bowl

Please note: I’ll be back in four weeks (Nov. 20th). We have a date to meet our first grandbaby!