Myrna Leigh Cohn

The scourge of the writer…  it’s time to begin the story, but where? When? Who? How? For the visual artist, it’s “the blank white canvas,” stark, flat and looking very much like the white snow-filled scene outside my studio window on this January day. I may or may not know what my next subject will be, [...]

I, too, used to use the word “bashert” because my mother did and my grandmother did. To my friend, Marge: There are times when we may want to believe it couldn’t be anything else but “meant to be“; when a series of events and the outcome fit together like hand and glove. It can be [...]

Yesterday,  a frigid Sunday in December,  I decided it was time for me to resume painting. It’s  been several weeks since I put palette knife to canvas;  so,  I had to go through the  process of setting up my space, beginning with covering the floor with a green oil cloth. Next, I laid out my tubes [...]

It’s as good an excuse as any (when you’re looking for one). I don’t know why everything stops while consumers try to get through a day at work, so they can run out to shop before the stores close at midnight. On weekends, they can start shopping at 7:00 a.m. (and, of course, if they [...]

OK… Here I am, breaking through the blank white page phobia. That’s all it takes. Two strokes and I’m back in the swing of things. Today I write, tomorrow, I paint. I used to think that painting and writing were functions of opposite sides of my brain; i.e., when I am writing, I am working [...]

It’s been a while since I had the time or patience to sit down and write my blog. We drove for three days (1800 miles) from Naples to Wheeling, Il. where our daughter, Michelle, her husband , Steve,and our two grand-daughters (Jordyn and Alexa) reside.  There was nothing earthshaking about the drive; it’s just a [...]

Yesterday, I had the joy of attending this art festival (ranked 5th Best Art Festival in the country). It was, without a doubt the most exciting art festival I have ever attended and just for the record, information about it can be found at www.naplesart.org. I went there to see what other people are creating [...]

Today, I returned to my easel; lo and behold, that 20″ x 20″ canvas was still there. I had hoped that someone might have tip-toed in (during the night or this morning while I was out at yoga) and whisked it away! No such luck; the challenge still stood. “I’ll give it another try,” I [...]

My husband, Garrett, and I have been in Naples for nine days and it wasn’t until yesterday that I began to paint. I always wonder at my resistance to something which is so satisfactory once I’m in the flow. I experience a push/pull reaction to commiting myself to a new canvas. I know this means [...]

Carnelian is a sacred stone of the Egyptians and the Tibetans. This energetic stone activates the lower chakras and helps the bearer to take action. This mineral is excellent for providing perceptiveness. It is a stone that will enhance the home energy and will spread love, encouraging one to learn how to give and receive [...]