My development as an artist has taken many turns throughout my life, from simple arts and crafts as a child to an internationally recognized art-quilter, author, educator and spokesperson. Each twist and turn brings me further into the light of discovery. There are so many ways to play with color and texture, so many avenues to explore. It is a process and an adventure.

I am currently exploring Impressionism, Surrealism and Abstract art with artist-acrylics, colored-pencils, as well as Pen and Ink. Here you will find some selected works representing this journey.

I enjoy all comments, both positive and negative, so please share your thoughts with me.


ABOUT ME / F.A.Q.





This Page contains:

• About Me
• Frequantly Asked Questions




About Me

I am a self-taught artist. For over two decades I've been known primarily as a professional textile artist. I've taught students from all around the world, self-published, and as a spokesperson for many of the companies in that industry. (See ART QUILTS for selected textile artwork.) However I am now focusing much of my new creative efforts on painting (acrylics) and illustration (pen & ink, colored pencil). It's a natural cross-over from having created (hand-painted) my own fabrics.


Creative Interests

I am more interested in geometric and organic abstracts, also some surrealism and impressionism - I am still in the early learning stages. Realism doesn't do anything for me - too much like a photograph. I also create small character sculptures (polymer clay) and mixed media collage work. I think it would be fun to illustrate a comic book or some such story so I am learning about that now. Later this year I will really go back in time to the days when I did block printing. I think sitting in my garden would be a nice place to carve some blocks.


Other things I like or am interested in...

My "kids" (a.k.a. the dogs), gardening, eating healthy, books (fiction and non), human nature, art galleries, museums (any/all art, life and earth science, natural history, aquariums), open artist studios, Space, dolphins, the Rain Forest and red-eyed leaf frogs, comic illustration, violin music, muffins, chocolate chip and oatmeal walnut cookies, day hikes, waterfalls, port wine, dragons, mobiles, trade shows, a "feel good" movie (on DVD, I do not watch TV programs), herbal teas, mocha lattes and french press coffee, nut biscotti and fruit scones, gemology / geoscience, sunflowers, trees, fossils and dinosaurs, Titanic, thunderstorms, late nights, solitude, inspiring quotes, stars (shape), book stores.


Favorite Artists

Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890
M.C. Escher 1898-1972
Camille Pissarro 1830-1903
Joseph M. W. Turner 1775-1851
Claude Monet 1840-1926
Georges Seurat 1859-1891
Wassily Kandinsky 1866-1944
Pablo Picasso 1881-1973


Favorite Authors

In no particular order: Ted Dekker / Og Mandino / Dan Brown / James Rollins / Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child / Stephenie Meyer / Ann Rice / David Baldacci / Jeffrey Archer / Mitch Albom / Clive Cussler / Patricia Cornwell / Jeffrey Deaver / Greg Iles / John Grisham / James Patterson / Nicholas Sparks / Daniel Silver / J.K. Rowling / Michael Crichton/ North Light Books (art)


Favorite Art Books

I have hundreds of art related books. Here are some favorites, in no particular order:

The Technical Pen (Gary Simmons) ISBN: 0823052273

Pencil Magic (Phil Metzger) ISBN: 1581805845

Space Art (Michael Carroll) ISBN-10: 0823048764 and/or ISBN-13: 9780823048762

The New Acrylics (Rheni Tauchid) ISBN: 0823031594

Anatomy for the Artist (Sarah Simblet) ISBN-13: 9780789480453 and/or ISBN-10: 078948045X

The Complete Guide to Painting Water (Bert N. Petri) ISBN: 9781581809688

Cartooning The Head and Figure (Jack Hamm) ISBN: 0399508031

Drawing Trees (Stanley Maltzman) ISBN: 0581800150 and/or ISBN: 0891348859

Rethinking Acrylic (Patti Brady) ISBN-13: 9781600610134

The Complete Guide to Perspective (John Raynes) ISBN: 9781581805161

Facial Expressions (Mark Simon) ISBN: 0823016714

Drawing and Painting Techniques (Amber Books) ISBN: 9781905704330

Masters of Deception (Al Seckel) ISBN: 1402705778

Art Revolution (Lisa L. Cyr) ISBN-13: 9781600611490

Grid Systems (Kimberly Elam) ISBN: 1568984650

Imaginative Realism (James Gurney) ISBN-13: 9780740785504 and/or ISBN-10: 0740785508

Painting the Secret World of Nature (John Agnew) ISBN: 1581800509

The Magic of M.C. Escher (Joost Elffers Books) ISBN: 0810967200

Time Life Library of Art (1969 series) Note: Each volume is a biography of a different master.

The Colored Pencil (Bet Borgeson) ISBN: 0823007499

Painting with Watercolor, Pen & Ink (Claudia Nice) ISBN: 158180265X (Note: I like all her books.)

Drawing Scenery: Landscapes and Seascapes (Jack Hamm) ISBN: 0399508066

Note: North Light Books publishes some of the best art books. Many in my collection are from them.


Favorite Music

In no particular order: Ray Lynch / Mannheim Steamroller / Billy Gilman / Cher / Loreena McKennitt / Bette Midler / John Groban / Madonna / Leann Rimes / Rascal Flats / John Denver / Andrea Bocelli / Michael Buble / Johnny Mathis / Westlife / Marty Robbins / Patsy Cline / Joe Nichols / Joshua Payne / Dan Fogelberg / Jim Croce / Glenn Miller / Tim Janis / Mozart / Brahms / Tchaikovsky / Vivaldi / Rachmaninov / Big Band and Swing music /


Favorite Movies

In no particular order: Moulin Rouge / Around the Universe / AI / Bed of Roses / Connie and Carla / Hairspray / The Illusionist / Into the Woods / Return to Me / Lord of the Rings / Harry Potter / Interview with a Vampire / Rent / The Producers / Titanic / Pride and Prejudice / Sense and Sensibility / What Dreams May Come / Walk in the Clouds / Eagle Eye / Shelter /


If I could have a conversation with anyone living or dead, I would choose:

Jesus Christ - To understand what really happened and what he actually preached.

Vincent van Gogh - To watch him paint, to understand his troubled soul.

Thomas Jefferson - To discuss his philosophy and to talk about Monticello, which I love.

A distant relative - Perhaps the first to come to America.

Constantine I a.k.a Constantine the Great - To discover what "he" deleted / changed from scriptures (Bible) and why. What parts are Christian and which are Pagan, and what is neither.

Adam / Eve - If they existed, to discover what they were and what life was like for them.

Pharaoh Khufu - I want to know how they made the Giza pyramids.

Joseph Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line - I want him to give me a guided tour of the Titanic just before it left port.

M.C. Escher - To learn his technique and thought process.

Michelangelo - To watch him work and to hear about his life directly from him.

Billy Gilman - I just want him to sing for me.

Leonardo da Vinci - To discuss his inventions, designs, to hear about his life directly from him.

Beatrix Potter - To watch her work and experience the thought process.

Johann Jokob (Jakub) Astor - For personal reasons.

Deepak Chopra - To discuss his philosophy on Wellness and the human spirit.

Muhammad - To get a first hand account of the Islamic faith.

Socrates / Plato / Aristotle together - To sit and listen to them debate philosophy.

Buddha - To get a first hand account of Buddhism.

Moses - To get a first hand account of Judaism and to discover what really happened to him and his people.


Frequantly Asked Questions

To purchase my artwork:

If there is a Buy Now button under a work, you may click on it to purchase the piece. If there is not, please contact me. It might be available for purchase and I don't have it listed as such (for it might be on display somewhere) or perhaps I can create a similar piece for you.

You may pay with your credit card or a PayPal account. The button brings you to a secure page at PayPal to complete the transaction. Also, unless noted, artwork is not matted nor framed. It will be shipped insured and traceable. If you are not satisfied, you may return a piece, also insured and traceable, in its original condition, within five days of receipt, for a refund minus shipping costs. Contact me before shipping for specific return information.


What I am currently working on.

I am currently creating series of Abstract and Impressionistic paintings. I also continue to create Art Quilts and Illustrations.

Here is a list of some art supply resources:

Art Supply Warehouse
Rex Art
Cheap Joe's Art Stuff
Jerry's Artarama
Utrecht Art
Pearl Paint
Art Supplies Online
Daniel Smith
Madison Art Supply
Meininger Art Supply
Texas Art Supply
Mister Art
Art Boards .com
Art Media Online
Talas Online

To email me:

I do appreciate all comments (both positive and negative) and am open to questions, so if you wish to email them to me, you may do so at davidksmall (at) yahoo.com.


What is Wordless Wednesday ?

Many art bloggers now upload images in their midweek post, without any text. The idea is that the photo(s) say enough so that no description is necessary. I do not want to have an archive list full of titles that all say "Wordless Wednesday," so I will be bending the rules a bit to put that above the photos within the post. I will reserve the post titles for the subject matter to make the archive listing more useful.


What are ATC's and ACEO's ?

ATC’s (Artist Trading Cards) are small works of art, specifically 2.5” x 3.5”, which are not sold but traded with other artists. They can be made with any material and the medium and style reflects the artist. Most often they are made so they are thin enough to fit in the plastic sleeves baseball card collectors use, making them easy to protect and display.

ACEO’s (or Art Card Editions and Originals) - are a spin off of ATC’s. ACEO’s may be sold which means anyone may collect them, and artists can give them away to non-artists. Unlike ATC’s, ACEO’s are created with archival issues in mind, and are signed / dated as any other original works of art would be. They adhere to the size requirements of an ATC’s and so make purchasing art by a variety of artists more affordable for those on limited budgets.


Copyright Blurb:

No part of this blog may be copied or reproduced by any means nor in any form. Plain and simple... I own what I write, and I retain all rights to all the art I create. You steal, I prosecute. Been there, done that.


Why do I put © David K Small and the name of the artwork on my images here?

Two reasons… One is obviously to state the work is to be considered protected under copyright laws, even though marking it so isn’t necessary legally. Second, when someone downloads my images to their computer, and views them some time in the future, they will know who they belong to in case they want to contact me or simply even remember who the artist is.

There are all sorts of web page codes, scripts, that prevent people from just right-clicking to download images. There are also viewing feeds which do that as well. I think it is funny when this is done because there is no way to stop anyone from simply holding down the CTRL key with the Print Screen key, pasting the screen shot into something as simple as Paint (standard with all Windows computers), cropping if they want, and saving the image. If someone wants to work a bit harder, they simply need to View Source (see your page code), locate the URL for the image and go to it, then right-click. Nothing will stop someone determined to download your images. So I figure I might as well label all mine for identification.

It is also so very easy to remove copyright text, ID text, and even watermarks which many artists use. I know this because I have had to do it myself when I accidentally didn’t keep an original unmarked image. So I try to put my identification where it is at least unobtrusive and hopefully less likely to be removed. Again, nothing will stop a determined thief, even making it difficult for them, which in most cases is probably a welcomed challenge.

There is only one way to protect your work from such people - don’t show your work. What would be the point in creating it then?


My Disclaimer:

If what I write / post here reads like something you wrote or of any of my artwork looks like yours (or that of anyone else), it is pure coincidence. Creative minds sometimes think alike. Occasionally I do lose my mind for a short while. I assume its simply been misplaced or on vacation. I sure hope I am not sharing it with someone else. If it seems that way, please let me know.

As far as this blog is concerned, I am an artist with out editors, so all tha speling misteaks or gramatical errers should be loked upon as intentionel creativ genus, and thanku 4 noticen.



Studio Plan:









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