Flapper Fascination

Here are some drawings I've done over the past couple of years. I'm not sure why I find the 1920s so fascinating. It's definitely a beautiful time in fashion. I think I'm also drawn to the strong women of that era. And the charm. It was definitely a charming time. I've been drawn to this point in history for years, but admittedly, Downton Abbey only fueled the obsession. I hear they're making a movie. Fingers crossed!

Estelle

After a creative slump I finally finished this and I really like how it turned out. I love flappers so I decided to finally paint one. I enjoyed sticking to a softer color palette. I usually paint with bold colors but this time I stuck to pastels. Also note that this is a mixed media piece. I mostly used acrylics but added some wax metallic finish and some touches of gold oil pastel since I didn't have gold paint.

I Heart California

Me at the beautiful La Jolla Beach

A couple of weeks ago my family and I went to California. We had a family reunion in Death Valley, then we went to Disneyland, Hollywood, Laguna Beach, and San Diego. It was a wonderful trip. Do you want to know a secret? California has my heart. I've wanted to live there since I was a kid. And maybe someday I will. Hopefully sooner than later. People seem to have a passionate love or hate for California. While I know it's a flawed place (like any other) I love the mild year-round weather, the diversity, the art, the anything goes attitude, the beaches, the celebrities, the vegan restaurants around every corner. Yup, I love California.

Thailand Trip

My sister and I have wanted to go on an exotic trip together for years and I've wanted to see Thailand for even longer so we decided to take a spontaneous trip earlier this month.

We got to stay in a magical beach bungalow with an oceanview balcony for next to nothing.

The Big Buddha was really cool. 

Two monks were kind enough to let a few of us silly tourists pose with them. 

We got up close and personal with several monkeys. They climbed all over our bags, tried to steal my sister's phone and pulled her hair. It was pretty funny!

My sister and I on the boat heading to Khao Phing Kan and other gorgeous islands.

 Khao Phing Kan, aka James Bond island. It was gorgeous! We also got to canoe through some breathtaking caves.

Visiting the elephant sanctuary was hands down the best experience of the whole trip. I've been obsessed with elephants for many years. Getting to feed, bathe, brush and pet them was amazing. Such a dream come true! 

Kata Noi beach was lovely. We planned to snorkel but the waves were too intense so we played in the water instead.

 Trick Eye Museum was a lot of fun. It's filled with dozens of interactive murals. This is a longtime favorite painting of mine by Van Gogh.

Thailand was absolutely magical and easily one of the best trips of my life--and the icing on the cake is that it can be done on a tight budget. I would recommend it to anyone.

Isabelle

Surprise! Another painting of a woman. I painted her lips blue because I often like to add something unexpected and slightly "off" to my work.

Bathroom

I love Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles, so I thought I'd try painting a room. It was enjoyable and I'm pleased with the outcome. 

Meeting Nicholas Hoult

My sister and I went to the Sundance Film Festival at Park City on Monday. We were thrilled when we spotted Nicholas Hoult, who stars in one of my all-time favorite movies, About A Boy. He's also in other great stuff like Warm Bodies, Equals and X-Men. He not only let us take a picture with him but he chatted with us for a couple of minutes. He was so nice. We also met Shirley MacLaine and Will Butler and spotted Lea Thompson, Zoey Deutch and Billy Bob Thornton. What a surreal day!

Lucy

The second commissioned pet portrait I did this month.

Caribbean Cruise

 The husband and I went on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had a blast!

 The Bahamas was gorgeous and relaxing.

 Jamaica was our favorite. It was a magical day at Blue Hole, Dunn's River Fall, the flea market and we went snorkeling for the very first time. 

 We loved snorkeling so much, we went a second time at the Cayman Islands. We never got bored of the aqua water.

Lastly, we did a little shopping in Mexico.

Rikki

I did my first ever pet commission of this sweet dog, Rikki. 

Tropical Sunset

I took a community oil painting class for fun and because I miss painting with other artists. (Sometimes I really miss the sense of community I enjoyed in high school and college.) So being an acrylic girl, this was my first oil in years. I gravitated toward a tropical scene because I'm going on a Caribbean cruise in a couple of weeks. I'm sooo excited!

Zuri

Zuri is a beautiful, strong, confident woman. Her hair was a lot of fun to paint. Zuri is the Swahili name for "beautiful".

Washington/Oregon Trip

A couple of weeks ago my family and I went on a road trip to Washington and Oregon. We stopped in Idaho to visit my grandma. 

 Seeing the Fremont Troll was on my bucket list. It was sooo cool!

Getting my feet wet at Madison Park. 

I finally saw the Space Needle in person! So cool. 

I love how artsy Portland is. 

 I was in heaven at Music Millennium. I adore huge record stores. #keepportlandweird

We got to try so many delicious vegan restaurants.

Cannon Beach was dreamy!

One of the most beautiful beaches I've been on!

This dog loved it, too. 

The forests were truly magical.

Luna

I titled this piece Luna because her white-blonde hair is shaped like a crescent moon. The moon represents femininity and the crescent moon, change. The moth in her hair symbolizes sensitivity. I've always felt different and couldn't figure out why. I recently learned I'm what's called a Highly Sensitive Person. I read this article recently and it fits me almost to a tee. Learning moths represent sensitivity makes me love them even more. Although Luna is feminine and sensitive, I tried to show strength and determination in her expression.

Runaway Rabbit

I felt inspired to paint a rabbit who escaped a carousel and ran away. He was tired of going around and around on the same track and ready for new adventures. I decided to stain it with watered down raw umber, focusing on the edges, to give it a antique and darker feel. 

Painting and writing is so cathartic for me. Like the bunny, I want to runaway. For years, I've felt my heart belongs to the ocean. I long to move, but the timing has to be right.