Dog Days and Total Reinvigoration

Dog Days refer to the hot middle months of summer. While it's not technically summer here in California, it has been remarkably warm and it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so that's why this post got that title. This is a portrait of Brutis, a very fine dog I had the honor of painting. It was one of a few Valentine's Day gifts I was commissioned to paint. He has the best color coat and sweetest disposition.

Brutis

I rarely get sick, but I managed to catch a mild cold this past week. While it's not been too bad, I'd prefer feeling 100%. I think all the homemade soup, mandarins and a few hot toddies helped me get over it nicely.

It's been a very busy week, but different from what I'm used to. I'm reorganizing how I schedule my finances, time and projects. I keep looking for the finish line, when it's done and I get to paint and experiment. I'm trying to be super organized this year and I'm learning to be less busy and scattered as I was in 2013. So far, I really feel the difference.

Midst all this planning, I have cooked a few amazing meals and spontaneously decided to paint the front door of our house. I allowed myself to only choose from leftover colors from a public art project I did last year. I went with 'Navajo Red', a reddish orange color. For some reason, painting the door caused a light bulb to go off in my head and I realized I want to be more creative in all aspects of my life, not just with my art making. I feel like I have been so bogged down in the little details that I have been largely ignoring all the other ways I can make life awesome.

The new orange door

I was too excited to wait until the door was finished, but you get the basic idea. It turned out more orange than the rust I thought it would be, but orange is the color of health, beta-carotene, passion, adventure, transformation and increases creativity and appetite. Sounds good to me. 

What do you think?! I love it!

Miami Getaway

A couple of weeks ago, I flew to Miami for 4 days in the sun with some good friends. I was a little worried it wouldn't be enough time, but it turned out to be perfect and made me feel like quick getaways need to happen more often.

'So Miami', a recurring phrase amongst us on this trip as we gazed at white buildings, blue skies and palm trees.

When we arrived, I felt like I was in the tropics. The sky was gray and palm trees blew sideways, reminding me of Costa Rica. The most surprising thing about Miami was the amount of Art Deco architecture, which unfortunately I didn't photograph. I had no idea that it was the Art Deco capital of America. 

Gabby approves of our apartment's 7th floor view. She is starting an amazing adventure company, Tiny Compass. Click here to join her mailing list to be the first to find out when it launches.

It was a great day for cloud watching. The drive to Everglades National Park was really pretty with this canal reflecting all the clouds above. Florida is so different from California in its flatness and tropical weather. 

A fantastic place for birdwatching.

I'm not sure why I thought there would be fences between us and the gators. They were reeeaally close.

Benae hamming it up while the other girls check out an alligator behind.

Simpsons clouds 

We ate at Chez le Bebe, a Haitian restaurant in Little Haiti. Probably the best meal of our life. It looks so simple, but was so flavorful and indescribably good. Us five ladies devoured it all, including all the rice later on for a midnight snack and breakfast. 

The following night? More whole fried fish from Puerto Sagua, a killer Cuban spot. I have to say, both of these spots don't have websites and I am going to start considering that when picking restaurants in the future.

Miami Beach, people-less

A perfect day at the beach.

Quintessential Miami

Maya Hayuk

How ridiculous is this Maya Hayuk mural? It caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks while we were in the Wynwood Arts District. The colors against that blue sky, the patterning and the depth and layering, which you can see far better in person, made it a really special thing to see in real life.

The ritzy side of Miami. Literally islands of wealth.

Until next time, Miami!

Iceland Travel Art

I was thrilled to be working on this commission of an Iceland trip. The client sent me photos of various locations that meant something to her and her husband and I chose how to lay out the scenes. I can't wait to post the final in the next few weeks. I will be offering travel paintings like these in my Etsy shop. They are perfect for the trip of a lifetime, honeymoon keepsake or other adventures. Paintings will be offered in 8x10 and 11x14 sizes. I will be making an announcement about this new offering in the next few weeks!

An initial sketch for an Iceland trip commission.

Joshua Tree, Arizona and New Mexico Pt. 2

My time spent in the Southwest was so photo-worthy that I had to split my trip into two posts. You can see the first post here. At this point, I was in full-on relax mode and all the hectic feelings from the end of the year had basically disappeared. On the road, I thumb through the road atlas, imagining that we will stop at all these magical places, including Sedona, White Sands and various other places. Of course, we didn't have the time for these things, but there's always next time.

New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment

The welcome sign at the border of New Mexico says it all. The vast landscapes and mesas are breathtaking and so different from the California landscapes I'm used to. You may be wondering why I'm skipping Arizona. We sped through to get to our destination to meet friends in New Mexico. Later in this post, I'll have a couple shots of Flagstaff on the way back. 

The gal I came to see, Anabella Piñon. 

Anabella Piñon is one of my favorite artists. She makes art for the pure love of it and is one of the most enigmatic and generous people you will ever meet. This is her reflection in her parent's kitchen, bright and colorful, like the whole Piñon family. You can see Bella's art here. I know one of her goals this year is to make more art so I'm really excited to see what she does. She is always the main reason I'm in New Mexico. Bella lives in California, near me, but her family is out here. 

The Piñon "ranch" in New Mexico. You can't tell from this photo, but this house is on a lot next to railroad tracks, not on 10 acres as it looks.

Bella's dad's space, filled with music equipment and lots of random things. We spent a solid night drumming and sketching.

This photo captures Bella so well: beautiful, patterned, happy and natural. 

We all rode horses on the 13 acre ranch in Contreras.

How beautiful is this view? Bella's brother-in-law carves these beautiful crosses from found glass bottles.

A beautiful door at the ranch, also painted by Bella's brother-in-law.

Muñeco

Ocho

Dinner time for the horses

The view from my horse, Ignacio and Muñeco in Contreras. I could easily spend a month here.

A neighboring ranch. I love the sign with the Zia symbol and horses.

We ended the year right with this spread on New Year's Eve morning.

I'm not posting photos from the party, but it was so fun! Blanca, Bella's sister, made it a memorable one and I led a yoga session post-cleanup the next morning. They sure are cozy on that one blanket!

Flagstaff, AZ. Flagstaff is a great town. It's obvious that they value the environment, health and nature here. I'd like to check it out longer next time.

The sunset as we left Flagstaff was gorgeous. A great way to end the trip with snow on the side of the roads and a crescent moon just above the mountains. 

And that concludes the second part of my Southwest trip. It was much needed after feeling spent by the end of the year. I think the colors, patterns and openness of the landscape will influence my art for awhile. 

Now, I'm off to Miami for some more sunshine.

New Campfire Art Print Available

I'm a little sad it's been so warm here in California. I like to camp in the winter when it's cold and there are less people, but I have a feeling we are skipping winter with the drought and warm weather we are experiencing. Still, I will be camping in a few weeks and I thought it fitting to post my art Firewater, which is now available as a print in my Etsy shop. I hope you have a serene weekend.

Firewater, available here